SURPRISE SURPRISE
824 Words
My mind was spinning.
Fast.
My mind started flashing with images.
The scream. It came back first.
I heard it again in my head, clearer this time, like it had been waiting for me to notice it properly.
Lina. Her hands shaking. The way the tea had spilled. The way she said nothing after. The way no one said her name today, like she had never existed.
And then … These marks.
My chest tightened, my breath catching halfway in.
No, no, no.
This didn’t make sense. This didn’t fit. This house didn’t have anything like that. It didn’t have screams. It didn’t have people disappearing. It didn’t.
My stomach twisted. My hand dropped from the door like it had burned me.
I stumbled back a step.
This wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be. The walls felt closer suddenly. The hallway longer.
I sucked in a breath, but it didn’t feel like enough. Like something was pressing against my chest, stopping it from filling properly.
“The scream…” I pressed my hand against my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut. It played again.
Louder.
“Lina…” My voice cracked. Her face flashed in my mind.
“Irrelevant.”
I was imagining things, I had to be!
I turned and ran. My steps echoed too loudly as I rushed down the hallway, my breath uneven, my chest tight.
I didn’t look back. Didn’t slow down. I just needed to get away from that door. From those marks. From the way everything suddenly didn’t make sense anymore.
My hand gripped the railing as I took the stairs two at a time, my vision blurring slightly at the edges.
“Stop,” I whispered to myself. “Just—stop thinking.”
But it didn’t stop. It wouldn’t. The images kept flashing.
The sound.
The door.
Lina.
I pushed forward, my body moving faster than my thoughts could catch up.
I froze.
He was already there.
At the top of the stairs. Standing still. Waiting.
My breath hitched sharply as I stopped short. My father looked at me.
Calm.
Composed.
Like he had always been there.
Like he had known exactly when I would come running.
My chest rose and fell too quickly, my fingers tightening at my sides as I tried to steady myself.
“How long…” My voice came out thinner than I expected. “How long have you been standing there?”
He didn’t answer that. He just watched me. His eyes moved slowly over my face, taking everything in.
The way my breath stuttered.
The way my shoulders tensed.
The way I couldn’t quite meet his gaze for too long.
He noticed.
The silence stretched between us.
I swallowed, forcing my breathing to slow, forcing my expression to settle into something… normal.
Something he expected.
But his eyes didn’t leave mine.
His head tilted slightly, just a small movement.
“Did you go near the basement?” The question came out calm.
My heart skipped. Just for a second. My mouth opened and then closed.
I hesitated. It was small. Barely noticeable. But it was there because I had never hesitated before.
Not with him.
Not like that.
If I said yes—
Then what?
My fingers curled slightly into my palms.
My throat felt dry.
“I didn’t.”
The words came out steady. This was the first time I had ever lied to him.
I held his gaze, forcing myself not to look away. Not to give anything else away.
He smiled.
The same smile he always gave me. The one that was supposed to feel warm and comforting. But this time, it didn’t reach his eyes.
Not even close.
“Come with me honey, I have some news for you,” he said, and I trailed behind him, my mind spinning in different directions. Did he know?
Was he going to punish me?
If yes, how?
I had never gotten in trouble with my dad before, so I didn’t know how this worked. He was a busy man while I was growing up, but he made up for it with gifts and trips and everything I could ask for. I didn’t lack anything, but for some reason, we never really bonded, no matter how much time we spent together.
He was always so perfect, it was hard to relate to him, and now I was starting to see some cracks in his glass.
We arrived at his home office and we both sat down.
“So, tell me. What’s the good news?” I said, trying too hard to act casual and praying he didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t show it.
“You’re getting married in two weeks. Your husband is already on his way back to the country as we speak.
”
My mouth fell open, and I closed it, and it fell open again before I finally mustered the strength to speak.
“What?!”
- Writer
