Sienna’s POV


    Liam tasted a piece of meat, chewing slowly. He swallowed. Then took another bite. And another.


    But not a single word left his lips. No “This is <b>good</b>.” No “<b>Thank </b>you.” Not even a simple, “Are you feeling better?”


    I lowered my gaze, stabbing a small piece of chicken with my fork. My hand trembled. Not from hunger. But because… not one of them knew how hard I had fought today just to make it back.


    Emily was busyughing with Noah<b>, </b>helping him reach the sauce.


    Noahughed too, feeding her a tiny bite of soy–zed chicken.


    “Is it <b>good</b>, Auntie?” he asked eagerly.


    “So delicious! Noah’s mommy <b>is </b>such a great cook,” she replied with <b>a </b>quick nce in my direction. Her smile was sweet, but… there was something in her eyes.


    Something that said, “See? I’m the one he chooses <b>now</b>.”


    I wanted to swallow it all–The food, the disappointment, the hurt. But my throat felt sealed shut. There was no taste left. Only bitterness slowly filling my mouth.


    I tried to gulp, hoping it would wash <b>away </b>the sourness. But it was no use.


    Today, I came home. And I was received like a guest.


    As if I had never lived in this house. As if my ce had already been quietly moved aside. And all of them… epted it without missing me at all.


    Suddenly, a wave of nausea surged up from my <b>stomach</b>, unstoppable.


    My <b>hand </b>gripped the <b>edge </b>of the table, my breath uneven, and before I could say a word, I leaned forward and turned my face away. The sound of a stifled gag filled the air.


    Everything fell silent.


    I shot up from my seat, covering my mouth with one trembling hand.


    The scent of the food that had once smelled so inviting now made my stomach turn. My body shivered. I tried to walk quickly to the small sink near the kitchen, but-


    “SIENNA!!


    Liam’s voice rang out behind me, loud and sharp. It cut through the air like a de,ced with fury.


    I froze in ce, trembling. I could feel every eye in the room now locked on me. Even Emily had gone quiet, though probably savoring the chaos in silence.


    “Have you no manners?!” Liam shouted. “This is a family dinner, and you act like <b>that</b>? Disgusting!”


    I couldn’t move. My eyes


    burned.


    I just wanted to exin, to tell him I had forgotten to take my anti–nausea meds. That my body wasn’t strong yet. That I <b>had </b><b>just </b>been discharged from the hospital.


    Bub


    Before I could speak, <b>a </b>small voice pierced the air. And it hurt more than all the others.


    “Mommy’s gross!” Noah yelled.


    He stood up abruptly, his small hand knocking his <b>te </b>and spilling some sauce onto the tablecloth.


    “I don’t wanna eat anymore!”


    His footsteps echoed as he stormed out of the dining room, followed by the loud m of his bedroom door.


    The night sky peeked through the slightly parted curtains. The glow from a streemp cast a faint light <b>across </b>the bedroom floor, painting the room in a somber, dim <b>hue</b>.


    <b>The </b>ticking of the clock echoed softly-


    the only sound, aside from the unsteady rhythm of my own breathing.


    I opened the bedroom door slowly. My legs felt heavy, <b>as </b>if each step was a cruel reminder of how unwell my body truly was.


    The lingering scent of food clinging to my clothes made the nausea return, even though my stomach was nearly empty.


    Once the door was shut again, I sat on the edge of the bed. My hands were trembling as I stared at the manuscript I had been holding onto so tightly.


    My handwriting was a mess, but every page held pain, confusion, and… a faint sliver of hope. Maybe a form of escape from a life <b>I </b>no longer had control over.


    I ced the manuscript gently on the small table beside the bed, then turned my gaze to the wall calendar.


    One more week. Seven days.


    With a red pen, I marked the date. The day I would leave.


    I drew <b>in a </b>deep breath, and for the first time today, I spoke aloud to myself.


    “Hold on, Sienna. Just seven more days. Endure it. Get through it, even if it feels like it’s cutting through bone. You have to walk out of this house as a strong woman.”


    My hand reached for the bottle of pills still sitting on the table. Anti–nausea medication. The one I forgot to take–because I <b>was </b>too busy cooking for people who didn’t <b>even </b>bother to ask how I was.


    My eyes fell on those tiny pills… <b>and </b>my chest tightened all over again.


    I should have taken care of myself, should have focused on healing–on filling my heart with the strength to leave. But what I did today… I hurt myself even more deeply.


    I lowered my head, covering my face with both <b>hands</b>. Tears finally slipped through–not because of Liam’s harsh words, not because of Noah’s heartbreaking outburst<b>, </b>not even because Emily had taken my ce.


    But because I felt like I had vanished from their world.


    I wasn’t a mother in Noah’s <b>eyes</b>. I wasn’t a wife in Liam’s<b>. </b>I was just a shadow. A silhouette.


    I drank a sip of water and swallowed the pill slowly. The bitterness clung to my tongue


    but still… not as bitter as the wound now carved into my chest.