THE DAY YOUR HUSBAND’S PREGNANT MISTRESS SAT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY TOLD YOU TO LEAVE, ONE CALM SENTENCE TURNED ALL SIX OF THEM WHITE

“So if anyone is leaving today, it will not be me.”

Nobody speaks.

The silence that follows is not empty. It is the exact moment a room realizes its power has been imaginary all along.

For several seconds, all six of them seem to forget the basic mechanics of expression. Then Rosa leans forward with the righteous indignation of a woman whose favorite weapon, social pressure, has just bounced off solid steel.

“Camila,” she says sharply, “don’t be difficult.”