« You know? »
« Daniel, you’ve been behaving like a stranger for weeks. You spend more time looking at your phone than talking to me. You come home late, you make excuses, and you smile at messages you don’t want me to see. I’m not stupid. »For a moment, I felt ashamed.
But Vanessa’s voice immediately returned to my mind.
She had told me that Margaret was holding me back. That I shouldn’t spend the rest of my life making someone else comfortable while sacrificing my own happiness.
So I pushed the guilt aside.
« I don’t want to spend the rest of my life pretending to be happy, » I replied.
Margaret slowly raised her eyes.
« Then stop pretending, Daniel. But remember something. The choices you make tonight will belong to you for the rest of your life. »
I picked up my suitcase.
At the door, I turned around one last time.
