I SWAPPED BODIES WITH THE BILLIONAIRE HEIRESS

Reina The air in the kitchen tasted like burnt garlic and fear. It was thick enough to choke on, but I had to keep breathing for Leo. I pressed my palm over his eyes and pulled his small body into the curve of my hip. He was shaking so hard I thought his bones might snap. Vikram was shouting something about the floor again. Apparently, I had missed a spot near the baseboard, and that was enough to ruin his entire life. He loomed over us, his face a deep, bruised purple. The veins in his neck looked like they were ready to burst through the skin. I stared at the linoleum and tried to find a happy place. My mind drifted to the only world that made sense anymore. I could see the screen of my phone in my head. It was sitting on the counter, the glass cracked like a spiderweb right across Ophelia Queency’s perfect face. Ophelia looked so calm in that photo. She was wearing a silk dress that probably cost more than our car, standing in a garden that looked like heaven. She didn't have stains on her floor. She didn't have a husband who smelled like cheap whiskey and bad decisions. I work at X-Corp, the biggest tech giant in the world, and I am a ghost there. I move through the halls, I file the papers, and I disappear. It is a skill I have perfected. If I can be invisible at the most powerful company on earth, surely I can be invisible here. But Vikram always finds me. He likes the hunt, I think. "Are you even listening to me, you pathetic brat?" he roared. His voice vibrated in my chest, making my ribs ache. I didn't answer. Answering only makes the fire burn hotter, and I was already sweating through my shirt. Leo whimpered against my leg. I squeezed his shoulder, a silent plea for him to stay quiet. Please, Leo, just a few more minutes. Maybe he will get tired and go to sleep. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" Vikram grabbed my chin and forced my head up. His grip was like iron. I could feel his fingernails digging into my skin, marking me again. I looked at him, but I didn't see him. I saw the golden life of the woman on my phone. I wondered what it felt like to wake up without a knot in your stomach. I wondered if Ophelia ever had to hide in her own kitchen. Vikram saw the blankness in my eyes and it sent him over the edge. He hated when he couldn't break my spirit completely. He shoved me back against the counter. My hip hit the corner of the wood, and a sharp spike of pain shot up my spine. Great. That is going to be a massive bruise by tomorrow morning. How am I supposed to hide that at the office? "You think you’re better than me because of that job?" he spat. He was so close I could smell the rot on his breath. "I don't think I'm better than anyone, Vikram," I whispered. My voice sounded thin and papery, like an old leaf. "Liar!" He swung his arm out, knocking the dish rack off the counter. Plates shattered against the floor. The sound was like a gunshot in the small room. Leo screamed then. He couldn't help it, the poor kid was only six. That scream was like a signal for Vikram. He didn't like noises he couldn't control. He turned his gaze toward my son. My heart stopped beating for a full second. "Leave him alone," I said, my voice suddenly sharp. "This is between us." "It’s between whoever I say it’s between," he growled. He took a step toward Leo. I moved faster than I thought I could. I stepped in front of my son, shielding him with my entire weight. The first blow caught me on the side of the head. It wasn't a slap; it was a closed fist. White light exploded behind my eyes. I felt my knees buckle, but I forced myself to stay upright. If I go down, he gets to Leo. I can't go down. "Stop it! Please!" I cried out. I sounded desperate now, the mask of the efficient worker finally slipping. He didn't stop. He never stops once he gets that look in his eyes. He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back. I felt strands of hair tearing away from my scalp. Everything started to blur. The kitchen tiles, the broken plates, the flickering lightbulb above the sink. I looked at the stove and felt a sudden, crushing wave of guilt. Leo hadn't even finished his dinner. There was a plate of cold nuggets sitting just out of reach. He needs to eat, I thought. Why am I thinking about chicken nuggets right now? My head is literally ringing. I also noticed the stain on the floor again. The one that started all this. I hadn't finished cleaning it. If I had just scrubbed harder, maybe we would be sitting here in silence. Vikram’s hand came back for another strike. This one felt different. It felt heavy, like lead. It felt like a finality I wasn't ready for. I saw his arm move in slow motion. I tried to lift my hands to block it, but my limbs felt like they were made of water. The impact was a dull thud that echoed inside my skull. The world tilted on its axis. I felt myself falling. It was a long way down to the floor. My face hit the linoleum, right next to the puddle of spilled juice I hadn't wiped up. The coldness of the floor felt almost good against my burning skin. I wanted to stay there forever. I could hear Leo's voice. It sounded like he was shouting from the bottom of a deep well. "Mommy? Mommy, wake up!" I tried to reach out for him. I wanted to tell him to run, to go to the neighbor’s house, to get away. But my fingers wouldn't move. They just lay limp against the tile. The darkness started creeping in from the edges of my vision. It was a thick, velvety black. I thought about Ophelia Queency one last time. I thought about her perfect hair and her perfect house. I wished I could just step into the screen of my phone and disappear. I didn't want to be Reina anymore. Being Reina was too hard. It hurt too much. I wanted to be anyone else. A stranger on the street, a ghost in the hall, anyone. "Mommy!" Leo’s voice was the last thing I heard. The darkness finally took over. I let it pull me under, hoping that wherever I woke up, it wouldn't be here. I am done. I can't do this anymore. Just let me be someone else. Please, let me be someone else. The silence finally came. It was the loudest thing I had ever heard. Everything went black.