THE SUICIDE

Chapter Nine : A Stranger In The Family

It was a quiet Sunday evening when Uncle Claude arrived. Juliet recognized the sound of his laugh even before the front door opened—the loud, careless kind of laugh that echoed through the marble halls of the Delacroix estate like it belonged there. Claude Delacroix, the youngest brother of Mr. Delacroix, was rarely around, but when he was, everything seemed to stop for him.

He walked in wearing a sharp navy suit and an expensive cologne that clung to the air like smoke. “Look at my little niece,” he said loudly, setting down a gift bag filled with chocolates and perfume. “You’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman.”

Juliet stood frozen by the staircase. Something about him made her skin crawl, but she smiled politely—taught to be graceful under pressure, even at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Delacroix emerged from the study with bright faces. “Claude!” her father said warmly, embracing him. “You should come by more often. Juliet, come and say a proper hello.”

Juliet stepped forward, hesitant. Claude opened his arms.

She didn’t want to move closer. But she was Juliet Delacroix—the daughter of a governor. And good daughters did not embarrass the family.

So she walked up to him.

“There she is,” Claude grinned, then casually patted his knee. “Come, sit here. Let your uncle hold you for a second.”

Juliet stiffened.

“I’d rather not, I’m fine—” she began, but her mother cut in gently.

“Oh Juliet, don’t be rude. He’s family,” she said with a light laugh. “Claude used to rock you to sleep as a baby.”

Her father nodded, smiling. “He’s one of the few people we trust with you.”

The words hit her like a wall. Trust.

Juliet didn’t speak. Slowly, silently, she sat.

Claude’s arm wrapped around her waist, holding her firmly in place. His hand lingered a little too long. His breath was too close. Juliet’s heart pounded so loudly she couldn’t hear the voices around her anymore—only the cold dread inside her chest.

Her parents poured wine, laughed about old times, oblivious.

Juliet stared at the floor.

She didn’t know how to name the feeling in her body, but it settled deep, like a secret that no one would believe. She sat quietly on her uncle’s lap, wrapped in the illusion of family, and understood for the first time what it meant to be completely unseen and unheard.