**Xi**
*It’s easy to hate someone. People say, “*hatred takes energy to maintain*,” but I would argue the opposite. Hate is self-maintaining. Forgiveness is a supremely difficult task. Even after I forgave fleur for her cruel words, I still relished my hatred. I bathed in it. Truly, I hated the Americans as well. As I pondered it, I’m not sure what I was expecting them to do.*
*Fleur felt much of the same rage I did. Many of her family and friends had perished as well. We both fought for the opinion and attention of the Americans, trying to convince them we were right. Perhaps it’s for the best they didn’t give in. Had they sided with one or another, our family would have torn apart, and I never would have fallen in love.*
For once, at dinner, Fleur was glaring at someone else. She held Felicia under a burning stare. Felicia hadn’t announced yet, but we had our suspicions. They weren’t even trying. It was a slap in the face to a woman whose third in vitro fertilization had failed.