UNDER THE SURFACE

Skylar’s POV

Dinner felt like an awkward dance I was stumbling through, trying to ignore the sting of unspoken words and unseen judgments. The room buzzed with conversation, laughter, and the clinking of silverware, but my mind was a whirlwind of self-reproach and unease.

I’d made a colossal mistake, one that gnawed at me with every passing second. The regret was palpable, almost a physical presence, and I could feel it even more keenly at the dinner table. Sage’s treatment of me was a silent punishment, subtle enough to escape our parents’ notice but impossible for me to ignore. He was engaging with everyone else—laughing, debating, sharing stories—while I remained a mere shadow at the edge of the conversation. Every time our eyes met, he looked through me, not at me, as though I had become invisible in his eyes.

“Skylar, do you even know how your dad met your mum?” Chris’s voice cut through my thoughts. I noticed my dad’s awkward attempt to hide his embarrassment behind a hand.

“Chr