The Love Built On Silent Lies

nor

e library, when I heard their voices. Astrid and Bryan. I p

ute is always hovering?" Astrid's voice was laced with annoyance, a sharp,

an mumbled, his voice tig

"She's a burden, Bryan. A dead weight

red so casually, were like ice water poured directly onto my

k canvas bag, smelling of dust and mildew, enveloped me, plunging me into instant darkness.

heavy door creaking open, then slamming shut, echoed around me. The air grew damp and heavy, smelling faint

l space. She clearly thought I couldn't hear her. "Just standing the

h a saint. So pure. But he hates that blank face of yours, Elinor. He t

e gut. Bryan. My Bryan. He hated my face? He

om. "I think you deserve everything bad that happens to you. You hogged Bryan f

gh bag. The memory of the fire, a gaping wound in my soul, ripped open anew. My parents. Their sacrifice. And Bryan, who had shared t

asted blood, metallic and acrid. A bone. It felt like a bon

g, was poured over my head, soaking my clothes, plastering

toilet bowl filled my nose, my mouth. I thrashed, my broken leg screaming in protest, my lung

steps outside the door. And then, Bryan' s voice, clear an

leeting, surged through me. H

er voice sickeningly sweet, as if she hadn't j

a clear note of anger. But then he added, "I'll hang out

hing wave of despair. He was still pla

repeated, his voice lower, more a warning

an, you're such a hypocrite. You know you love it whe

, indifferent weight. He looked at my struggling fo

a high-ranking military officer. If this gets out, it's not going to be pretty for any

le. My ears, still overwhelmed by the new sounds, registered the distinct so

ce dripping with satisfaction

he walked out, the door swinging shut wi

finds her. Don't want to mess up Bryan's perfect image, now do we?" She laughed again, a ch

ied. "The mute is a pain anyway. Alw

, broken only by the steady drip

roken leg throbbing. My hands, still trembling, fumbled for

heavy. The darkness, once a terror, now seemed like a welcoming embrace. My body gave out. I plung

, contorted with fear, but their eyes, fixed on Bryan, filled with a desper

u. Always. His voice, from a decade ago,

just words, easily broken, easily discarded. He