It buzzed again.
"Reina," my mother said sharply. "It's rude to check your phone at the dinner table."
"I'm not..."
Buzz.
"Answer it," she said, her voice ice. "It's clearly important."
With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone.
Three texts from Luca:
How's it going?
Reina?
If you need an out, just call me.
I set the phone face-down on my lap.
"Work?" my mother asked, though she knew it wasn't.
"A friend," I said.
"Ah." She took another sip of wine. "You've been making a lot of new friends since you moved back, haven't you?"
The emphasis on "friends" made my skin crawl.
That's when I knew this dinner was about to get much worse.
I couldn't do this anymore.
Couldn't sit here and pretend everything was fine while my mother circled like a predator, getting closer and closer to going for the throat.
"What are you really trying to say, Mom?"
The words came out sharper than I intended. The table went silent except for the soft clink of my aunt setting down her wine glass.
My mother dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, taking her time. "I'm not sure what you mean, sweetheart."
"Yes, you do." I set my own napkin on the table. "You've been making pointed comments all night. So just say whatever it is you want to say."
Kia made a small sound of distress. "Reina, maybe we should..."
"Stay out of this, Kia," my mother said, not looking away from me.
Edward shifted in his seat. "Perhaps I should give you all some privacy..."
"Sit down, Edward," my mother commanded.
He sat.
My mother leaned back in her chair, studying me with those cold, calculating eyes. "I'm simply concerned about you, Reina. You look unwell. Tired. And I can't help but notice you seem... distracted. Agitated even."
"I'm fine."
"Are you?" She tilted her head. "Because from where I'm sitting, you look like someone who's making very poor choices."
