I smiled sadly.
“Not at first. At first, I tried to change.”
I remembered being sixteen, standing in front of a mirror, practicing how to smile without showing my teeth.
I remembered covering my mouth when my friends told jokes. I remembered avoiding photographs at birthday parties and family gatherings because I was afraid someone might notice what he had noticed.
“I thought if I could just fix the thing he disliked about me, everything would be fine.”
“What happened?” Emma asked.
“We broke up eventually. But even after he was gone, I kept hiding my smile. It became a habit.”
“Why didn’t you stop?”
“Because sometimes the person who hurts you leaves, but the things they make you believe about yourself stay behind.”
The table became quiet.
I glanced at Daniel.
“He was the first person who made me realize how much I’d changed.”
Daniel reached for my hand.
