1

Friday dawned cold and dreary, with the kind of gray sky that seemed to promise bad news.

Mia woke up before her alarm clock. She had that uncomfortable, almost physical feeling that something was about to get out of control. She tried to ignore it. She was tired of living on alert.

It would be the first time she had gone out with Liam outside of school. The first time Mia had defied her mother's control. The first time she had let “just one more time” become a choice.

She put on her black jeans and the warmest sweater she had. She tied her white hair in a high ponytail, leaving a few strands loose. A touch of mascara, a discreet gloss. She didn't want to look anxious, but she wanted to look pretty. Liam deserved the effort—and she deserved this moment.

She went down to the kitchen, where her grandparents were already having breakfast in silence, as usual. Tereza was frying eggs. João was reading the newspaper with a frown, as if at any moment something would jump off the pages and confirm his paranoia.

Mia rolled her eyes. To her, her grandparents not only supported her mother's paranoia, but also contributed to the chaotic life her family led.

“Good morning,” she muttered, not expecting a response.

Her grandmother smiled sweetly. João looked up and said only:

“We're taking you today.”

Of course they would. They always found an excuse to follow her closely. Mia swallowed her discomfort and just nodded. It wasn't worth arguing. Not that morning.

In the car, the radio was off. Mia watched the city go by through the window. That day, everything seemed slower. Or maybe it was her, too anxious.

The truck stopped in front of the school. João held her arm before she got out.

“What matters is that we love you. Never doubt that.”

Tereza nodded, her voice low:

“One day you'll understand.”

Mia took a deep breath.

“Maybe. But today I just want to have a normal day.”

She got out without looking back. She just wanted everything to work out. She just wanted to live, even if only for a few hours.

She got out of the car quickly, before the emotion of the two of them could infect her. She didn't notice the black van across the street. She didn't see when he turned on his headlights and slowly pulled away, following the old pickup truck.

She didn't notice anything.

She was focused on Liam.

In the school hallway, Amy was waiting for her, laughing to herself with her cell phone in her hand.

“He freaked out yesterday, Mia. He changed the sheets, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom. My brother turned into a Victorian maiden!”

Mia laughed, even though she was tense inside.

“You're lying.”

“I swear. He's taking this more seriously than college entrance exams.”

They laughed together, and Mia tried to convince herself that this moment was real. That everything was fine. That she wasn't about to cause another escape, another outburst at home.

Amy nudged her with her elbow.

“You look beautiful.”

“I didn't even try that hard.”

“Lie number two.”

Mia rolled her eyes but smiled. Then Liam appeared.

Tall, with a crooked smile, the kind of boy who seemed to know he was handsome but pretended not to care. His uniform was a little rumpled and his hair was still wet, as if he had run out of the shower.

“Good morning, my favorite duo.”

Amy groaned.

“Don't start, Liam.”

But Mia didn't say anything. Her heart always raced a little when he was around—not because of the cliché, but because of the risk. He was the first boy she had ever really been involved with. The kisses in the hallways, their fingers intertwined in class, everything was still new. But that afternoon would be their first outside of school. The first time she would truly lie to her mother.

And that tore her apart.

“Finally,” he said. “I thought you were going to cancel again.”

Mia smiled.

“Not this time.”

They walked down the hallway together, their fingers lightly touching, as if testing the limits of what they could be outside the school walls.

Amy appeared behind them, in her usual mocking mood.

“I saw you, huh? Holding hands first thing in the morning. Is this dating or a double escape?”

Mia laughed.

“It depends. If my mom finds out, it could turn into kidnapping.”

Liam let out a short laugh.

“She won't find out. We'll watch the movie, grab a bite to eat, and drop you off at home like nothing happened.”

“Or almost nothing,” Amy teased.

Mia just shook her head, trying not to show the panic growing inside her. On the outside, everything was fine. On the inside, she knew that part of her hoped something would go wrong. Like it always did.

In the middle of class, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. It was Elisa. Mia ignored it. Two missed calls, then three. She sighed, feeling her heart race.

Amy saw her expression and whispered:

“Want to switch moms with me for a day?”

“You wouldn't last an hour,” Mia replied, putting her phone away.

Liam leaned over and whispered:

“Do you want to cancel? We can do it another day.”

Mia looked into his eyes. They were sincere. Patient. And she realized she couldn't go on living in fear of what might happen.

“No. I want to go. I want to live a little, just for today.”

Liam nodded, smiling.

They spent the rest of the day exchanging knowing glances and quick touches. When the bell rang, Mia felt her hands sweat. She was really going. Even if she was lying. Even if she was crossing the line.

At the exit, Amy hugged her tightly.

As they crossed the parking lot, Mia felt the cold wind hit her face. For a second, she looked back. No sign of her grandparents' truck. No sign of Elisa. No sign of the world she had always lived in.

Just her, Liam, and the chance to live a little.

“Anxious?” he asked, his eyes locked on hers.

“Not exactly,” Mia replied, trying to sound casual. “Maybe just a little... guilty.”

Liam smiled.

“You'll survive. I promise I won't kidnap you.”

Amy grimaced.

“For God's sake, Mia. Just enjoy it. It'll be fun.”

Mia nodded, but the smile didn't last. Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She looked at the screen and her blood ran cold.

Elisa.

She ignored it again.

Liam noticed.

“Everything okay?”

“My mom,” she muttered. “She must be freaking out over something stupid.”

Amy raised her eyebrows.

“What if she finds out?” Amy whispered, her voice low.

“She won't,” Mia replied with a certainty she was far from feeling.

“Are you sure?” Amy stared at her with an encouraging smile.

“I hope so,” Mia replied, saying goodbye to her friend. After all, hope was all she had left.

Without thinking about anything else, Mia walked hand in hand with Liam to the car.

Mia turned off her cell phone as soon as she got out of Liam's car.

In front of her, the house looked like something out of a dream that was never hers. Impeccable facade, perfectly manicured garden, the silence of rich people. Everything was too organized.

Liam smiled. “Come on in.”

She hesitated. Just for a second.

“It won't work.”

The voice came out as a whisper. Thin. Cold. Familiar.

Mia frowned. Was it her mother's voice? The judgment, the fear, the control?

No.

It wasn't.

It was... different.

She walked through the door with a heavy heart, trying to ignore the feeling.

Inside, the house was even worse: perfect. The kind of perfection that doesn't suit someone who grew up running away, reusing, hiding.

“My parents are traveling. We're alone,” he said casually.

“Sure,” she muttered, following him.

Room by room, Mia felt smaller. The dining room table seemed too big. The staircase, too beautiful. The light, too bright. Everything there was too much—for her.

In her bedroom, the chaos relieved her. Wrinkled clothes, messy books, the smell of a teenager. Finally, something real.

“How about Twilight?” she joked.

Liam rolled his eyes.

“You want to torture me, don't you?”

She laughed, trying to relax.

“Okay, I'll get some popcorn.”

When he left, the silence returned.

Mia sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at the room, the ceiling, the details.

“You don't belong to him.”

The voice came again. Clearer.

More certain.

And this time, Mia knew: it wasn't her mother.

It wasn't her fault.

And it came from inside her.