At least it got Easton to finally look at me like he knew who I was. He seemed like he was about to say something to his father, but I didn’t let him speak. I was perfectly capable of dealing with this particular type of bullshit.

“No, Mr. Archer, there was no father in the picture. He was busy taking care of his wife and kids, so my mother and I had to come here on our own.” I looked at Easton then, locking eyes with him and in this place packed with people I voiced something I rarely said out loud. I never took my eyes off him, making sure he knew that I was not ashamed of where I came from. “My mother was my father’s mistress, so when things got dicey, he decided we were not a priority.” I lifted a shoulder, trying hard for an unbothered air that did not match up with the pounding in my chest. “We did just fine without him.”

Easton’s eyes were wide, like he had no idea what to do, but I wasn’t going to wait around to hear whatever scathing comment his parents would come up with next. “Excuse me.”

I moved past, without looking at any of them, and went to find the nearest exit. I walked out into the frigid November night and tried to take a deep breath.

I felt small. Not because of whatever had come out of Easton’s parents’ mouths. That shit I was used to. People looking at me and making assumptions. Going on whatever headline they’ve read about my country and using that to tell me who I was.

People sometimes commented about how I always had this air of disinterest, aloofness. I wished I could just tell them how much it took to let people talk to me like this, the anger and humiliation I constantly had to snuff out.

I kept replaying how Easton had acted. Like he wanted to put as much distance between us as possible. Like he didn’t want them to know we were together.

That had hurt.

I didn’t even know why I was surprised. I knew this was bound to happen. No matter how much Easton wanted to act all woke and shit, he was from one place and I was from another. The minute his family showed up, he iced me out and acted like he barely knew me.