Chapter 21 Feel Alive

• The villa settled into an uneasy quiet after dinner.
• Mr. and Mrs. Alexandrescu had retired early, but their presence still filled the halls. Sam remained downstairs longer than usual, performing the role of the corrected son. I went to my room, changed into a simple sleep shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed with the lights off. Sleep did not come. The way his parents had spoken about the slap—like a logistics problem—kept turning over in my mind. No one had asked if I was hurt. No one had looked at me as if I mattered beyond the surface I was required to keep clean.
• I needed air. I needed to feel alive.