Ermelinda's POV
The house was quiet. The kind of quiet that settles in your bones and makes your heartbeat echo in your ears. My room, dimly lit by the soft glow of the desk lamp, felt smaller tonight — like the walls were inching closer, crowding me in with my thoughts.
The scholarship envelope sat in front of me. Still unopened. Still untouched. Like it might explode if I breathed too hard near it.
I stared at it, fingers twitching, chest tight.
It should've been easy. Open it. Read it. Celebrate.
But all I could do was sit there with my heart pounding like I'd just sprinted a mile.
What if it said yes?
What if it actually offered me a way out of this life — the late-night shifts, the aching feet, the constant weight of "not enough"?
What if it was real?
But then... what if I couldn't take it?
My dad's voice rang in my head: "You think you're too good for this life now?"The look he gave me last time I mentioned college still burned in the back of my mind — disappointment disguised as anger.
He wouldn't support it. He never did.
And Elias… I hadn't told him yet. He'd tease me, probably. Or maybe he'd look at me with those eyes, the ones that made me feel like I was capable of more than I believed. I didn't know which scared me more.
I reached for the envelope again. Pulled my hand back.
This thing — just paper and ink — was somehow heavier than all the trays I carried at work.
My phone buzzed beside me.
Elias:You alive or did that Future Wife scare kill you for real?
I snorted. Classic timing.
Then another message came in right after.
Elias:If I don't hear from you in ten minutes, I'm showing up with tacos and a shovel to bury your body.
A tiny laugh escaped my lips. Just a breath of air, but enough to ease some of the pressure in my chest.
I looked back at the envelope.
Okay, maybe not tonight. But soon.
Because dreams don't wait forever — and neither do opportunities.