Chapter Four
873 Words
I came home from work and collapsed straight onto the couch. My shoes were still on, my bag dumped somewhere by the door. I didn’t care. My body felt heavy, drained, like every bit of strength had been pulled out of me and left behind at the office.
The apartment was quiet. I liked it that way. No shouting, no insults, no footsteps in the hallway that made me flinch. Just silence.
I closed my eyes, telling myself I’d only rest for a few minutes before making dinner.
The sound of my phone buzzing jolted me awake. I groaned, fumbling for it. The screen lit up with a name I hadn’t seen in months.
Dad.
I stared at it, torn. I almost let it ring out. Almost. But my thumb slid across the screen anyway.
“Hello?” My voice was groggy, heavy with sleep.
There was a pause. Then his voice, soft and careful.
“Sweetheart. Did I wake you?”
“Yes,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “What is it, Dad?”
“I just… I wanted to hear your voice. You never answer my calls anymore.”
Guilt pricked at me. “I’ve been busy.”
“You’re always busy.” His tone shifted, more fragile.
“Listen, it’s my birthday this weekend. I want you to come home. Please. Be there. Just this once.”
My heart sank. “Dad…”
“I know what you’re going to say,” he rushed on.
“That you don’t want to see your stepmother, or your sister. That you don’t want to face them. But it’s my birthday, sweetheart. I don’t ask for much. I just want you there.”
I sat up, pressing my hand to my forehead. “I can’t face them, Dad. Not her. Not… not him.”
Silence hung on the line. The kind that always came when he didn’t know what to say, when he couldn’t defend me.
Finally, he sighed. “It’s been months since you left. Since you even spoke to me. I’ve tried, I’ve called, but you never pick up. Don’t you miss me, even a little?”
My throat tightened. “Of course I do. But….”
“Then come,” he cut in, his voice almost breaking. “Just for one evening. Let me have all my children under one roof. That’s all I want for my birthday.”
I closed my eyes. He didn’t even hear what he was asking. Or maybe he just didn’t care.
“I’ll think about it,” I whispered.
“Please,” he said again, softer now, like he was pleading. “Don’t think. Just say yes.”
Something in his voice made my chest ache. He sounded older, weaker than I remembered.
“Okay,” I whispered, against my better judgment.
Relief filled his voice. “Thank you, my girl. You’ll see, it’ll be different this time.”
But I didn’t believe that. Not for a second.
When the call ended, I sat in silence, staring at the ceiling. My chest was tight, my stomach knotted. Different? No. Nothing would ever change in that house.
Almost without thinking, I dialed Tessa.
She picked up on the second ring. “You sound weird. What happened?”
I sighed. “My dad called. It’s his birthday this weekend. He wants me to come home.”
“Oh,” she said slowly. “And?”
“And I said yes.”
There was a pause, then an exhale. “Girl… are you ready for that? You know how they are.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I can already hear the whispers. The looks. My sister flaunting him in my face. My stepmother was pretending to smile while stabbing me with her words. I don’t think I can take it.”
“Then don’t go.”
“I can’t do that either. It’s my dad. He begged, Tessa.”
She was quiet for a second. Then her tone sharpened. “Okay, then you’re not walking in there alone.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you need to show up with someone. A man. A boyfriend. Something that makes them choke on their fake smiles.”
I almost laughed. “Tessa, I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a fiancé. Or any man at all.”
“Then we’ll find one.”
“Tessa…..”
“No,” she cut in firmly. “You’re not going there alone. You deserve to walk in with your head high, not like some wounded bird they can pick apart. Trust me on this.”
I rubbed my forehead. “This is insane.”
“It’s survival,” she corrected. Then her voice softened. “Let me come over tomorrow. We’ll figure it out together.”
I exhaled, defeated. “Fine.”
“Good,” she said. “We’ll find someone. Don’t worry.”
But I was worried. Very worried.
Because the thought of facing them all again already felt unbearable. And now I had to find a stranger to play the part of someone who loved me.
When the call ended, I lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling again.
- Writer
