My mother looked at me with a harshness that surprised me, as if my question was unfair.
“Because we’re all part of the same family,” he replied. “We all sacrifice something.”
Those words were the peak of the tension, the moment where everything came down to a clear and painful choice.
I looked at Hue, then at my mother, and I understood that I couldn’t protect both of them without betraying myself.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the decision in every part of my body.
