Chapter 53

I took a deep breath and slightly pushed Rojas away from me. His face instantly turned to confusion as he looked at me with his dark brown eyes. I could feel my heart racing as I mustered up the courage to speak.

"I'm sorry, Rojas. I'm just not ready for this," I said, my voice shaking with emotion.

Rojas looked at me with concern, "What do you mean, Reina? Not ready for what?"

I gestured towards the house, "This... I can't do this. It's too similar to the one we lived in before."

Rojas's face softened as he reached out to touch my arm, "But, Reina, this is our dream home. We lived in a similar place before, and we were happy."

"I know," I whispered, "But it feels like a cage."

I could see the hurt in Rojas's eyes as he tried to process what I was saying. "You want to leave?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," I said, looking down at the ground.

"But we just got here," Rojas pleaded with me, "Stay for dinner,