The Anger Within
1384 Words
Eveline had no idea where Lucian was taking her, and honestly, she didn't care enough to ask.
The silence inside the car was suffocating. It stretched between them like a thick wall, broken only by the hum of the engine and the sound of her own breathing. Sitting beside Lucian felt strangely intimidating, yet after several minutes, she finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Lucian didn't answer.
His attention remained fixed on the road ahead as though he hadn't heard her at all.
"Can you at least take me home?" she pleaded.
Still, he said nothing.
Eveline clenched her jaw.
Why had she even gotten into his car if this was how he was going to treat her?
"If you're going to keep ignoring me, then just drop me off," she snapped.
That finally got a reaction.
"What is your problem?" Lucian asked.
"My problem?" A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "I need to know where we're going, Lucian. I've had a terrible day, and the last thing I need right now is more drama."
"From what I saw, you let them treat you that way."
Eveline turned to him in disbelief.
"You did not just say that."
"What?" Lucian replied with a shrug. "I said what I said, Eveline."
His words hit a nerve.
She stared at him, trying to understand what exactly he meant, but all she felt was anger bubbling inside her chest.
"You know what? Drop me here."
"That's not going to happen."
"Drop me off right now, Lucian!"
"No!" he shouted back. "Not in the middle of nowhere. You could get robbed, kidnapped, or worse."
"What do you care?" she fired back. "You're a Vale, just like the rest of your family."
"I'm nothing like them, and you know it."
"Oh, really?" she scoffed. "Because you stayed away from them for ten years, that suddenly makes you different?"
Lucian tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
A frustrated sigh escaped him.
"You know what? Forget it. I was planning to take you somewhere nice for dinner, but clearly your mind is made up. I'll just take you home."
The rest of the drive passed in complete silence.
Outside, the road leading to her house was peaceful and quiet. Inside the car, however, the tension remained thick enough to cut with a knife.
Lucian never looked at her once.
Eveline knew she had gotten under his skin.
Then again, he had gotten under hers too.
When they finally arrived, she climbed out of the car.
Before she could even thank him, Lucian sped away without a single word.
She rolled her eyes.
"Unbelievable," she muttered before heading inside.
The moment she stepped into the house, she found her father sitting comfortably on the couch, watching television with the remote resting in his hand.
A frown creased her forehead.
She could have sworn she had left the Vale mansion long before him.
How had he gotten home before she did?
Not wanting to deal with him, she turned toward the staircase.
"Whatever made you speak to Mrs. Vale that way must never happen again."
Her father's voice stopped her in her tracks.
Eveline froze halfway up the stairs before slowly turning around.
"Did you know too?" she asked quietly. "Did you know Julian was having an affair with Stephanie?"
Her father sighed.
"And so what? They love each other, Eveline."
The words felt like a slap across her face.
"Then what about me?" she shouted. "Why can't he marry her instead? Why does it have to be me?"
Her voice echoed throughout the living room.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand!"
The pain she'd been holding back finally burst free.
She rushed down the stairs and dropped to her knees before him.
"Don't you care about my happiness at all?" she cried. "Why do I have to suffer because of you? Why do they get to treat me like this?"
Her father's expression hardened.
"You owe me your life, Eveline."
The coldness in his voice made her heart stop.
"Everything you are today is because of me. Every sacrifice, every expense, every opportunity—I provided it all. Until you repay every penny I've spent on you over the last ten years, you have no right to walk away."
Something inside her shattered.
"So do what you're told. That's all."
Without another word, he rose from the couch and disappeared into his room.
The moment the door closed behind him, the tears came.
Eveline felt completely broken.
For a brief moment, she wished the ground would open beneath her feet and swallow her whole.
Death seemed easier.
If she were gone, she wouldn't owe anyone anything.
She wouldn't be trapped.
She wouldn't be a pawn in someone else's game.
With trembling legs, she dragged herself upstairs and collapsed onto her bed.
Her room was the only place where she could truly fall apart.
The only place where nobody judged her tears.
Sometimes she was convinced her pillow held more tears than stuffing.
As she lay there staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted toward the future waiting for her.
What would life be like as Julian's wife?
Would she spend every day trapped in a loveless marriage while he continued loving someone else?
The questions refused to stop.
One after another, they filled her mind until exhaustion finally pulled her into sleep.
The next morning, the alarm blared loudly, but Eveline simply turned it off and drifted back to sleep. By the time she woke up again, she was already running late. She jumped out of bed and hurried through her morning routine. She knew she had already missed her first class, but she had to go to school anyway.
Back at school, she couldn't concentrate. Earlier that morning, she had realized how rude she had been to Lucian. He had only been trying to help, but she had allowed her emotions to get the better of her. The guilt lingered, making it difficult to focus on her lectures throughout the day.
Around 3:00 p.m., after classes ended, she headed to the clinic. There were many patients waiting to be registered, and she spent most of her time attending to them. Even so, she found herself constantly glancing around, hoping to catch sight of Lucian, despite knowing he had no reason to visit the psychiatric clinic.
By then, she had made up her mind. Once she finished registering the patients, she would go and apologize to him.
The day seemed to drag on endlessly. Everything felt strangely different, unlike any other day. Finally, when her work was done, she grabbed her bag and hurried to Lucian's office. Fortunately, she found him sitting inside his car, preparing to leave for the day.
She knocked on his window, and he rolled it down.
"Have you come to insult me again today?" he asked sarcastically.
Eveline paused for a moment before speaking.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "Everything I said came from a place of anger. I let my emotions get the better of me, and I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you. You were only trying to help."
Lucian stared at her for a few seconds before smacking his lips.
"You see, Eveline, I don't accept apologies like that," he replied.
"Your words really hurt me, and one way or another, you'll have to make up for them."
Eveline frowned.
"What? I just apologized. Besides, I didn't even say anything that terrible. I only felt guilty because—"
"Because what?" he interrupted, his voice deep and slightly condescending.
Just as she was about to answer, her phone rang.
It was Stephanie.
Eveline was still angry with her, so she declined the call.
"I only came here to say that I am—"
Her phone rang again.
"You'd better answer that," Lucian suggested.
"It's Stephanie, your nephew's girlfriend. Why does she keep calling?" Eveline asked rhetorically.
She rejected the call once more and turned back to Lucian. But before she could continue, Stephanie called again.
This time, she answered.
"What is it? Why do you keep blowing up my phone?" she snapped.
"Eveline..." Stephanie's voice trembled. "Your father has collapsed. He's unconscious."
For a moment, Eveline thought she had misheard.
"What?!" she screamed.
- Writer
