ONELIA
˚⋅˖* ⊱❀⊰ *˖⋅˚
I'll never forget the sound of glass shattering. The moment everything I knew about family—Love, loyalty, and the promise of never leaving—was all lost, demolished in a matter of a few fleeting seconds, turning to dust by the revelation from my mother.
Just one sentence from her mouth, and my world crumbled.
The screeching sounds that left my mother's throat when she tried to retaliate and leave were almost deafening.
All of her clothes strewn across the floor, mingling with the crimson blood dripping from my father's knuckles as they both take a minute in silence.
My father stands there, softening, drained, and confused, lips parting with his chest heaving up and down quickly.
The way he looks at her, his baby blue eyes pooling at the lids, with one blink forcing a tear to glide down his cheek, mixing with the blood at his feet.
My mother, on the other hand, looks at him with wide, uncertain eyes, her body drawn tight like a bowstring. Her lips parted, then shut again. and her fingers twitched at her sides—as if unsure whether to reach out or shield herself.
In that moment, my young mind couldn't comprehend what had happened a few hours ago.
The fight that just broke out after going to the movie theater, the names my mother called out that I still can't recall, and the fear in her eyes now mirror the ones she had shown while fighting alongside my father.
"What the hell was that!" My father breaks the silence, all of his emotions merging into one.
Anger.
His once slow blinks and glassy, unforced eyes were no longer apparent. The first time in years after my uncle's death, he's finally showing emotions instead of caging them with alcohol.
"It's."
He raises his bloodied fist just above his waistline, tearing his gaze from my mother to his hands. Finger trembling uncontrollably, like my entire nine-year-old body.
"It's like they weren't human!"
He manages to finish.
My mother flinches for a second, her hand rising and falling the moment she comes an inch away from him.
"I can't be here anymore…"
The words hands in the air
I suck in a sharp breath, taking in the sharp tang of blood, the metallic aroma like iron left to waste in the scorching sun. My mind at the moment couldn't comprehend the meaning of her words.
At that point in time, I prayed and begged that the cold embrace of the wall clinging to the back of the living room would swallow me whole.
What do you mean you can't be here?"
My father mutters at first.
He clenches his fingers into a tight fist, busted remnants of his knuckles poking through the blood as it drops back to his side again. His eyes, like needles, pinning her where she stands, but she doesn't repeat herself, as if second-guessing her choice of words.
"Ivy! What do you mean!"
He shouts louder, taking a step forward, but his fist is low.
She doesn't look up at him, leaving her eyes fixed on the floor. Silence washes over us all, and I'm sure each of us is going through our very own battles.
Mine was the thought of my mother leaving without me. Yet, just thinking doesn't change actions outward. Still, I couldn't move. Couldn't think; I was like a statue trapped in crumbling memories.
My mother, as if concluding her internal war, lifts her head, pivoting around without looking at any of us and dropping back down to her sprawled-out suitcase barely stuffed with enough clothes.
She made her decision. And I had lost mine.
Frantically, she plucks the clothes from the floor, mixing both bloodstained clothing and clean into her suitcase. It was evident her need to leave was greater than anything else.
Even me.
"I'm leaving."
She says sternly, as though she's trying to convince.
'Maybe she doesn't want to go? It's all a joke. She wouldn't leave her daughter'.
Were the words on repeat in my head, wanting her to come to her senses and stop. She didn't
"How can you leave?"
My father stammers out, moving closer, hands outstretched to touch her, but as his bloodied fingers rest on her arm, she slaps it away.
"You can't leave; we have a child together!"
His jaw muscles flex.
She halts, hands hovering over the suitcase with a pants still clutched between her fingers. Her head slowly jerks to face me but stops mid-point and reverts back to the suitcase, continuing.
"If I stay, it's going to make things worse."
She says bitterly, rotating to face him, eyebrows furrowed with anger that surpasses all of her other emotions.
"If you weren't such a drunk and had contributed to our family instead of wasting your life, we wouldn't be here!"
She completely snaps; my father stays quiet.
"I hate you, Everett."
Water wells up, the green of her irises shimmering like untampered emeralds.
"Ivy…"
He whispers, guilt lacing his tone.
"I can't take this pain anymore."
She sniffles, finishing zipping up her suitcase.
"Not again. Not ever."
"I can change." He promises.
Standing to her feet, she faces him.
"Change for her. Not me."
Her eyes finally met mine, and so did his.
I stepped forward, hoping for a hug, reassurance, something that would explain what was happening to our family at that moment.
Nothing.
Her eyes lingered on mine for a mere few fleeting seconds; guilt, love, apprehension—it all flashed in her eyes, but she lifted her head, avoiding mine, and with each step she took, a glimpse of what had been our life flashed.
Our mommy-daughter dates at the park. The days on the beach we'd spend together, every birthday, each accomplishment, every laugh.
It all buries me as she walks past me, leaving without a trace out of my life.
My ̶M̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶Ivy left.
.
.
.
My father and I were left behind.
The money from our bank account drained into nothing in the matter of five years. My father began making deals with shady individuals, which caused us to flee the country to another. From then on, everything seemed to go well; our lives were different.
Sudden wealth, which we used to rebuild an entire new lifestyle. One that I found exceptionally amazing.
But it came with a price. One I had no clue about.
----||A/N||----
I hope you enjoyed the prologue. though it isn't much, it holds a lot for the future upcoming chapters. If you liked this, please engage with it and show me some love if you find it enjoyable if not, I understand :)
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