Lila’s POVTHE SILENCE after Adrian announced the date did not feel real.It stretched too long, thick and fragile, like glass about to crack under pressure. Faces around the table froze into polite smiles, forks hovering midair, breaths held. Someone clapped. Then another. Applause followed, scattered and uncertain, like people testing whether they were allowed to react.My hands went numb. My heart hammered wildly against my chest. I did not remember standing, but suddenly I was on my feet.“I cannot,” I said, eyes wide with so much anxiety and emotional exhaustion.The words came out louder than I intended. Too sharp. Too honest.Every head turned.Adrian’s smile faltered for half a second before he recovered. “Lila,” he said gently, warning threaded beneath the softness. “You are overwhelmed. Sit down.”“No,” I said again, sha
Last Updated : 2026-02-27 Read more