MATED TO THREE, DESPISED BY ALL.
Only then could I move.
The humiliation I had endured moments ago still clung to me, thick and suffocating, settling deep into my chest. It wasn’t new, yet somehow it always managed to hurt as though it were the first time. The whispers, the careless glances, the way my presence was acknowledged only when something was required of me, it all piled up until the weight of it became unbearable. If humiliation had levels, then this was the highest one yet.
I lowered my gaze, staring at the polished surface of the table, watching my distorted reflection stare back at me. How fitting. I didn’t recognize myself anymore either.