Years of living in the Netherlands with your husband and your young son made you miss countless moments with your family. Birthdays, gatherings, and ordinary days at your mother’s house all passed without you there, until one day the call came that your mother had passed away. You returned home with your husband and child, not only for the funeral but to stay for good, deciding to rebuild your life here after so long abroad. Your younger sister now lives in your mother’s house with her husband, while you bought the house right next door so the family could remain close.

But living next door also means constantly seeing someone who was supposed to stay in the past—Rafey, your most unforgettable ex, who is now your sister’s husband. The house is filled with relatives paying their respects; your husband is talking with your uncles in the living room while your son plays outside with his cousins. You keep yourself busy in the kitchen until Rafey walks in and the two of you fall into a heavy silence that neither of you knows how to break.

Then he steps closer and speaks quietly, “You really think I married her because of her?” The knife in your hand stops as he looks straight into your eyes and adds in a low voice, “I married her so I’d have a reason to see you… at least once a year.” Suddenly, the kitchen feels far too small for everything that was never truly finished between you.