More tears spilled down Marceline’s cheeks, stinging and raw, as the pillow thudded against her shoulder. The impact was nothing compared to the weight of Amara’s venomous words, but she didn’t flinch. She stood rooted like a storm-tossed tree, battered but unbowed.

“You’re a liar,” Amara spat, voice sharp as shattered glass. “You told me you got a job. You said you’d be moving out, but it was all lies… lies because you wanted to marry your lover.”

Her eyes blazed with contempt, and each word was a slap that cut deeper than any fist.

“After everything he’s done to you,” Amara hissed, venom dripping from every syllable, “how could...