"He's changed so much. He wasn't nearly this composed back in the day. When we were on assignment together, someone just brushed my hand once and he nearly beat the guy half to death."
Ferdinand's eyes darkened, as though the memory had surfaced on its own.
"I was young and hot-headed back then."
Someone had brushed Vera's hand, and he'd nearly crippled the man for it.
Minutes ago, he'd watched another man paw at me and hadn't so much as blinked.
So that was it. The difference between love and indifference really was that obvious.
As the event wound down, a message from Ferdinand lit up my phone.
"I still have some work to discuss here. Take a cab home."
When I walked through the front door, Ferdinand's parents were sitting in the living room. I hadn't expected them.
The moment I stepped inside, Doris Sanchez's gaze swept me from head to toe, sharp with disapproval.
"This late, dressed like that. Have you no shame?"
"I hear the influencer business is a messy world. I didn't realize you fit right in."
I couldn't stop myself from pushing back.
"Being an influencer is a legitimate career. I have eight million followers."
Doris slammed the remote onto the coffee table.
"Followers? Who gives a damn about followers?"
"Our Ferdinand works at Channel 5. A state institution. What you do, let's call it what it is, is a circus act. Do you have any idea where circus performers ranked in the old days?"
"Ferdinand is being groomed for bigger things at the station. People are just waiting for a reason to drag him down, and your little career is exactly the kind of liability he doesn't need."
Keith Sanchez chimed in from the side.
"We're not attacking you. But if you truly love Ferdinand, you'll find a different job. Study for civil service exams, or take an office position at a real company."
"Look at Vera. Studied abroad, top of her class. Now that's someone who's actually in Ferdinand's league."
Five years of marriage, and Ferdinand's parents had never once thought I was good enough.
It didn't matter that I'd worked myself to the bone. It didn't matter that my eight million followers brought in dozens of times what Ferdinand earned.
In their eyes, I would never deserve their son.
And now that Vera was back, they couldn't wait to show up at my door and push me out.
I opened my mouth to fire back, but Doris's phone rang.
Vera's radiant face filled the screen.