Yes, Daddies

Carefree

Asena

I don’t knock. I just push the door open and it isn’t locked meaning that they are home.

Laughter greets me the moment I step inside. It's bright, carefree and warm. I was never a part of it.

For a second, I just stand there, my hand still on the door handle, listening to it echo through the house like I don’t belong here anymore.

Maybe I never did.

I close the door behind me quietly and take a step forward.

The maid is the first to see me. She pauses in the hallway, a tray in her hands, and her eyes land on me. For a brief second, there’s recognition. Then her lips curl in a sneer. Not even hidden. Not even subtle. It's like I’m something unpleasant she didn’t expect to see again.

Once, that would have stung. It would have sat heavy in my chest, made me question what I did wrong.

Now?

Nothing. I feel nothing. I just look at her, then past her, and walk by like she doesn’t exist.

The laughter grows louder as I approach the living room. My steps slow, just slightly coz I already know what I’m going to see and I’m right.

My father is seated at the center, relaxed, like a king in his throne. My stepmother is beside him, smiling like everything in the world is exactly as it should be.

Sophia sits close to Mateo.

Too close.

His arm is wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers brushing her arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world, like it was always meant to be her.

Not me.

I stop at the entrance. No one notices me at first. They’re too busy laughing then Sophia looks up and her eyes meet mine and just like that, everything stops.

“Well,” she says slowly, her lips curling into that same familiar, mocking smile, “look who decided to come back.”

Silence falls over the room. My father turns and the moment his eyes land on me, his expression hardens. Not surprise. Not relief. Just… irritation.

“Where have you been?” He snaps.

I don’t answer. I can’t because Mateo is looking at me now and there’s no guilt in his eyes. None. Just discomfort and annoyance like I’m the problem, like I walked in and ruined something.

Sophia leans into him slightly, and he tightens his arm around her. Then, deliberately, he presses a kiss to her cheek right in front of me. Something in my chest twists but I don’t react.

I can’t.

“Unbelievable,” my father mutters, shaking his head. “You disappear, and then you walk back in here like nothing happened.”

“I didn’t…” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Of course you didn’t,” he says sharply. “You never do anything right, do you?”

I stare at him.

“I didn’t do anything,” I say quietly.

Sophia laughs.

“Oh, please,” she says, waving a hand. “Don’t start acting innocent now, Asena. It’s embarrassing.”

I turn to her slowly.

“Embarrassing? Innocent?” I repeat.

“Yes,” she says, smiling sweetly. “You couldn’t even keep your own fiancé. That’s… really sad.”

My fingers curl into fists at my sides.

“You took him,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

She tilts her head. “He chose me.”

Mateo doesn’t say a word. Not a single word. He just sits there, his arm still around her, like this is where he belongs, like I was just… temporary.

My father scoffs. “Do you hear yourself? Blaming your sister for your own failures?”

I blink at him. “My failures?”

“Yes,” he snaps. “If you were a better woman, he wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.”

The words hit harder than I expect and for a moment, I can’t breathe.

My stepmother sighs dramatically. “Honestly, Asena, we tried to raise you better than this.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

“You tried?” I echo.

Sophia leans forward slightly, her eyes gleaming. “You should have seen yourself that day,” she says softly. “Crying over a dress.”

My stomach drops as the memory slams into me. The hotel room, the dress, them having s*x in the bed… Sophia wearing it, both of them laughing at me.

“It fit me better anyway,” she adds, smoothing an imaginary crease on her clothes.

Mateo chuckles under his breath and something inside me cracks.

“You knew,” I say, my voice shaking now. “Both of you. You knew what that day meant to me.”

“And?” Sofia shrugs. “Things change.”

My father stands abruptly, the sudden movement making me flinch.

“You’re still here arguing?” He barks. “After everything you’ve done?”

I stare at him. “What have I done?”

His hand comes out of nowhere. The slap echoes in the room and my head snaps to the side, the force of it sending a sharp sting across my cheek. For a second, everything goes quiet.

I taste blood.

No one moves.

No one says anything.

Not even Mateo.

Tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Not in front of them.

“Useless girl,” my father mutters. “You bring shame into this house and still have the audacity to stand there like you’re the victim.”

My ears ring and my cheek burns, but it’s the words that hurt more. They always do.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I whisper.

“Stop talking!” He shouts and I flinch again.

Sophia sighs, leaning back against Mateo. “Can you just make her leave?” She says, like I’m an inconvenience. “She’s ruining the mood.”

Ruining the mood? I let out a shaky breath. No one asked me to sit. No one asked where I have been. No one cares. Not one of them.

I look at Mateo, just once maybe hoping… for something… anything.

An apology.

A hint of regret.

But there’s nothing. He just looks away and that’s when the tears fall. I wipe them quickly, turning away before they can see more.

“I shouldn’t have come,” I say, my voice breaking.

No one stops me and I take a step toward the door. Then another.

“Running away again?” Sophia calls after me.

I don’t respond. I can’t. I just keep walking. I reach the hallway. Almost there. Almost out.

“Asena!”

My father’s voice stops me. I close my eyes briefly.

“Don’t turn,” I tell myself. "Don’t…"

“Stop!”

I pause. Just for a second and that’s all it takes. Something hits my back hard. The impact knocks the breath out of me. I gasp, stumbling forward as pain explodes through my spine. My vision blurs. My knees buckle. And then, I fall. The floor rushes up to meet me, cold and unforgiving. For a moment, I can’t move, I can’t breathe, I can’t think. All I hear is the echo of their laughter from earlier. All I feel is the weight of everything I’ve been carrying for years.

My body feels heavy. Too heavy. Like it’s giving up. My fingers twitch weakly against the floor and then everything starts to fade.

Darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision and this time…

I don’t fight it.