“What is the thing that hurts the most?” I was asked. I didn’t know the answer. I thought about everything I went through. That one moment struck me. Should I say it?. No. But a tear fell down my cheek. And in a low voice I say, “Betrayal.” And before I knew it, I ran away from there. As always.

“You are such a coward. This is why everyone leaves you.” My subconscious mind mocked me. I screamed “THAT IS NOT TRUE” but who was I kidding? My subconscious was what I thought deep down. I broke down in the middle of the street. I bawled like a baby not giving a damn to what people thought. A few minutes later, I stood up, went home and slept.

I woke up the next morning to the ringing of my phone. My head was throbbing. The call was from my manager. Turned out me crying became a huge scandal. Can’t people get a life? I get down from my bed and go to my washroom. After freshening up, I go to the study and remove a curtain. There were photographs. I crossed one and threw a dart in another one. 2 had crosses in them. I felt proud of that. I switched on the news. “Person A and B who had a huge business empire have been arrested today due to taxation fraud”. A smile crept up to my face. “Turns out police got an anonymous tip regarding the taxation fraud and upon further investigation, they found the evidence which proves the tip was true.” “Oh my god! Guess who did it???” I turned it off and went down with a smile on my face. “Miss, what would you like for breakfast today?” I thought about it but decided not to have anything as I was running late.

“Today I will not be having anything.” Saying this, I picked out my favorite pair of heels and got into my car. I was listening to high school and singing it when suddenly a girl jumped in front of my car. I pressed on the brake really hard. Was this girl out of her mind? I got out of the car and went to her. As she saw me, she started crying and yelling saying why did I not run her over? What was her problem? Suddenly, my phone rang and I drove away. I had a new project to model for. After a long day of work, I went back to my house. I turned on the news. I loved watching it. There was news about a car crash and it turned out to be the same woman. I realized something was wrong. So I called my P.A and asked him to find out about that woman.

I was going through her file in the morning. She turned out to be the one who asked the same question which made me breakdown. That day I was really emotional. When I went back home, a reporter wearing a mask came in front of me and asked me the question. Did she know? Is that why she asked me that question? I came out of that trance when my P.A said my name. “Miss Every?”

“Why has she turned out like this?”

“She also went through the same thing”

That was enough for me to know what he was talking about. My past.

“Which room is she in?”

“Room 202”

I slid the door open. There she was. Lying down. I went near her. Sensing my presence, she opened her eyes. The fright in her eyes was visible. But why was she? I never hurt her. I asked her:

“Did you run away like me?”

Her eyes went wide and were filled with tears.

“I did not. I fought. For them”

“Be proud then. Because you are strong. Unlike me who ran away”

Saying that I went away. That was it. I had to know I had to stop all this. I could not delay any longer. No one should go through what I went through. I called up Hazel. The only one who knew everything.

“I am doing it”

“EVERY NO! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING”

“So what do you want me to do? Watch more people suffer”

“We talked about this already. You will not be doing this. I will figure something out.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t hmm me. Don’t go there. Stop where you are”

I kept quiet.

“Vi, I said stop. I will figure something out but please not that”

“Too late. I’m already there”

Saying this, I cut the phone. I stood on the gate of the place I once loved. The place that was my safe place once but now my hell. The place which I was supposed to say “home”. I went in. The guards knew who I was so they let me pass. I knew exactly where to go. The study. The place which I dread going to the most. And there I stood face to face with the reason why I lost my peace and myself. My dad. Who I loathe. Who is a disgrace to the word father. Who should be despising himself for what he did. Who should have died with shame for what he did. I hate him. No I abhor and he should as well.

“Aww! My darling daughter came to visit her lovely dad”

I snickered.

“Don’t. Ever. Call. Me. That. Again”

“Awww! Then what should I call you? The daughter of a murderer?”

Now that was it. I lost my mind.

I SAID DON’T EVER REFER TO ME AS YOUR DAUGHTER. SHE DIED THE DAY YOU MURDERED THE ONE SHE LOVED THE MOST IN FRONT OF HER!”

“DON’T EVER SCREAM AT ME. Unless you want to end up like your darling mother and sweet sister.”

Tears started to stream down my face. And I hated it. Showing my tears to this monster. Showing that I am weak.

“Do you remember how I killed them? Right here. In this very study. It was soooooooo fun”

I gave him a death glare with my bloodshot eyes.

“Remember what I was going to do? Not kill them of course. How could I kill my darling wife and my lovely daughter?”

“YOU WERE GOING TO SELL THEM YOU MONSTER. THEY WERE YOUR FAMILY.”

“I was going to do that to you as well. But you ran away, remember. You ran away leaving them there.”

It was getting unbearable.

“No, please stop!”

I said, falling down.

“Why should I stop? Remember how I drugged you all and brought you here? But that useless drug wore off your mother and she woke you all up. She was going to help you all escape but thank god I realized it and stopped her. I pulled her by her hair and remembered how a bunch of it came off as she screamed.”

“NO STOP IT!”

Remembering everything was torture. Hearing everything made it feel like I was living everything again. Those screams. No no no stop.

“Already tired? Then remember how your sister came to help your mother but one of my men threw her to the ground and stomped on her hand breaking her finger? Those screams. OH THAT WAS SO MUCH ENJOYMENT”

“YOU WERE HER DAD. HOW COULD YOU”

“Like what I did to you, remember. I bet you still have that scar in your leg. I shot you right in your calf”

My leg started to hurt and throb as if I had just been shot.

“Then I chopped off all your mothers fingers. The blood gushed out. Oof that was so satisfying”

“YOU MONSTER”

“But I felt bored after that. So I chopped off your sister's feet. That was not that fun. When it was your turn, people came into the house and I went. Looking at the opportunity you jumped off the window all alone. Leaving your mother and sister to die. And well they did. A very brutal one. All because you left. Because I was going to leave them had you not ran away.”

“N-no n-no-o y-you would n-n-not have done that”

I said not being able to breathe anymore.

“Yes I would have love. All because of you they died. Now you will. Do you think I would not have known that you sent my partners to jail for taxation fraud?”

He knew. Of course he would know. Why was I so dumb? He is my own “father” after all. Two men came and picked me up. I didn't even fight back because I was too confused. Maybe he said the truth. Maybe he would have left them. No! They died because of me. Why god why? Why did you make me such a coward?

I started hearing police sirens outside. And I knew I was not hallucinating looking at the monster’s face which was pale. The police came in with Hazel. Thank god I had told her to come. But I was not thinking about that. I did not care. I thought I should die now because I was the reason my family died. Why did I run away? Without them. Even though they asked me to run away, I should have stayed or took them with me. I regret everything. And I fainted.

I woke up to Hazel looking at me.

“Are you ok?”

“What happened to him?”

“He is in custody but since there is no proof, they will release him soon.”

“Who said there is no proof?”

With that I took out my phone. I saw Hazel’s eyes go wide.

“I thought he took it away. Did not think he was that dumb”

“Neither did I. But thank god he confessed everything as well”

“You did it Vi. I am proud of you”

Saying this, she hugged me and I cried. Fast forward a year later, I am finally going to therapy and opening up. As for that monster, he got what he deserved and was imprisoned. But he committed suicide in there. But I know it was not only that. But I don’t care. I am happy that happened. He was just a burden to the earth anyways.