Nnnnjk
1285 Words
Vivian sat at the edge of her bed.
Her hands trembled.
Her breathing was uneven.
The quiet in the room felt loud enough to choke her.
She stared into nothing, her eyes glossy with tears that refused to stop.
Her throat felt tight.
She tried to swallow, but it hurt.
The weight of everything pressed on her shoulders like a physical force.
Her father was gone.
Dead.
She whispered the word in her head, but it sounded unreal.
Her lips parted.
But no sound came out.
Her heart thudded painfully.
She dragged her palm down her face, wiping tears that were replaced instantly by new ones.
Her body felt heavy.
Her spirit felt shattered.
Vivian tried to inhale deeply.
Her voice cracked as the air passed through her chest.
She placed both hands flat against her thighs, grounding herself.
The room spun just slightly.
Her chest tightened.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold herself together.
But everything was falling apart.
Her father was dead.
She wasn’t ready to think those words.
She wasn’t ready to accept them.
She wasn’t ready for the world to continue turning without him in it.
Vivian lifted her head again.
Her vision was blurred by tears.
She blinked, but the tears only gathered faster.
She pressed her hand against her mouth, muffling a sob.
She didn’t want to make a sound.
Silence was easier.
Silence kept her from collapsing.
Her shoulders shook as she struggled to breathe.
One tear dropped.
Then another.
They landed on her bare knees like tiny impacts of pain.
She whispered, “Dad…. I’m sorry….”
Her voice broke.
The room swallowed the words whole.
No answer.
No comfort.
Just silence.
Vivian’s memories flooded her mind … the last argument she had with her father.
His voice was stern.
His expression serious.
He warned her not to trust Victor.
He told her not to give him anything .
He told her she would regret it.
Vivian ignored him.
Vivian believed Victor instead.
Vivian believed love instead.
Vivian believed promises instead.
She had chosen Victor over her father.
She had disobeyed the man who raised her.
She had walked away from the man who would have done anything to protect her.
Now he was gone.
Gone forever.
She leaned forward slightly, holding her stomach with one hand.
Her breathing trembled.
She whispered shakily, “He can’t be gone…. he can’t just leave like that….”
Her tears fell faster.
Her father died with disappointment in his eyes.
Vivian never got a chance to fix it.
She never got a chance to say sorry, or explain, or ask for forgiveness.
She never even got a chance to say goodbye.
The ache hit her hard.
Her hand slipped off her stomach and dropped weakly onto the bed.
She dragged her palm across the sheet and curled her fingers into the fabric.
Her body trembled again.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to collapse.
She wanted to freeze time.
Vivian turned her head slowly.
Her phone lay next to her pillow.
The last message Victor sent was cold and careless.
“I’ll handle it.”
He didn’t handle anything.
He destroyed everything.
She picked up the phone with shaking hands.
Her thumb hovered over his name in their message thread.
Hundreds of messages from her.
No replies from him.
She clicked the call button.
It rang once.
Then twice.
Then it ended.
He declined the call.
Vivian felt something sharp twist in her chest.
Her breath hitched.
A sob clawed its way up her throat.
Her eyes overflowed again.
She dropped the phone beside her, letting it bounce on the bed.
Her voice shattered.
“I gave you sixty million dollars….”
Her tears fell harder.
Sixty million dollars.
Not a small amount.
Not a favor.
Not generosity.
Not pocket money.
Sixty million dollars.
Her inheritance.
Her future.
Her safety.
Gone.
Victor had misused everything.
She didn’t know where the money went.
She didn’t know what he spent it on.
She didn’t know anything.
All she knew was that it was gone.
And her father was gone too.
Vivian pressed her hands against her face, trying to physically push back the grief overwhelming her.
Her body rocked slightly as she tried to hold herself steady.
Her breathing cracked.
She whispered again, voice barely there.
“I gave you everything….”
Everything.
Trust.
Love.
Loyalty.
Money.
Her father’s respect.
Her entire life.
Her chest ached as she whispered, “Why…. why did I trust you….?”
Her throat tightened as she cried harder.
She wasn’t trying to think.
She couldn’t think.
She was drowning in pain and confusion and heartbreak.
Her hands slid down from her face and dropped into her lap.
Her shoulders shook again.
Vivian leaned forward until her forehead rested on her knees.
Her hair fell over her face like a dark curtain.
She stayed that way.
Still.
Silent.
Crying.
⸻
Meanwhile ….somewhere else.
Another life existed.
Another reality.
Another world.
Cecilia entered her office building.
Glass walls.
Marble floors.
Bright lights that reflected her confidence.
Her heels clicked against the floor in a rhythm of power and success.
Her assistant followed behind her, carrying files and an iPad full of schedules.
Everything about Cecilia radiated progress.
Her company was thriving.
Her brand was booming.
People wanted to work with her.
People wanted to learn from her.
People admired her.
She walked through the hallway with calm certainty.
No hesitation.
No sadness.
No weight of the past dragging heavy behind her.
She smiled when she saw a notification on her phone.
Another successful deal.
Another contract signed.
Another opportunity opening.
Everything was happening for her.
Her hard work was paying off.
Her dreams were growing.
Her achievements were multiplying.
Her joy was expanding.
Cecilia reached her office and settled into her chair.
Her assistant placed documents on her desk.
She scanned through them quickly and nodded.
Numbers aligned beautifully.
Progress.
Growth.
Stability.
She leaned back, satisfied.
Her world was in motion.
Her world was moving forward.
Her world was rewarding her.
She was winning.
⸻
Back to Vivian.
Vivian didn’t feel like she was part of the same planet.
She lifted her head slowly.
Her eyes were swollen.
Her vision blurred again.
She whispered, “I don’t understand….”
She said it again.
And again.
And again.
Her voice was fragile.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
Her thoughts were scattered and heavy.
Nothing made sense.
Victor didn’t answer her calls.
He didn’t reply to her messages.
He didn’t show up when her world ended.
He didn’t stand beside her when her father died.
He didn’t care when she broke.
Her father died thinking she threw her life away.
Vivian thought she chose love.
But now all she had was silence.
She pressed her hand to her chest.
Her heart thudded slowly, painfully.
She whispered, “Dad…. I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry….”
Her tears dripped down her chin.
She didn’t wipe them.
She let them fall.
Her shoulders slumped forward.
She pulled the blanket to her chest and held it tightly.
Her body shook.
Her tears stained the fabric.
Her breath caught.
She sobbed again.
No plans.
No revenge.
No idea what tomorrow looked like.
Vivian wasn’t thinking about the future.
She wasn’t thinking about what to do next.
Her mind wasn’t there.
All she had was pain.
Deep.
Quiet.
Filling every space inside her.
She whispered again, voice soft and shaky.
“I gave you everything…. and now I have nothing….”
Her tears fell harder.
Her body slumped lower.
She curled into herself, hugging her knees, trying to feel small enough to disappear.
Vivian stayed like that.
Crying.
Hurting.
Breaking.
- Writer
