Flashback
It was my fourteenth birthday, and Mum was throwing a lavish gala in my honor.
I was miserable. It was supposed to be my day, yet the air in the estate felt as cold as a tomb. Mum had only allowed me to invite two friends because, according to her, “too many teenagers would ruin the refined atmosphere for her guests ”
Her guests. At my birthday party. In the end, out of quiet defiance, I didn’t invite anyone at all.
I descended the grand staircase beside Dad, wearing a silver silk gown that glittered beneath the crystal chandeliers, diamonds heavy around my neck and wrists like delicate, gilded shackles. They were far too heavy for a fourteen-year-old girl.
Below us, a sea of wealthy elite applauded with polished, practiced smiles. They were all strangers.
“This is my daugh
