As for Maria, I hoped that one day she would realize the world didn’t revolve around her. Perhaps she’d find her own path without relying on others to clear it for her. In the quiet of my new home, I often found myself by the window, watching the world go by.
The city’s pulse was a constant reminder of the life I was carving out, decision by decision, moment by moment. I had finally stepped out of the shadows and into the light of my own making, and it was invigorating. I was no longer an invisible sister or a pawn in someone else’s game.
I was Bella—seen, heard, and free.
