SECRETS IN THE SILENCE
1010 Words
"Yes, please," she snapped, holding her glass out at him. He poured without a word, and she gulped it down. The moment the glass was empty, she pushed it towards him again. And again.
By the fifth round, her vision blurred, and the room spun. Then, darkness embraced her.
*
*
*
Ivory's eyes fluttered open; she was disoriented. She wasn't sure how long she had slept, but when she woke up, he wasn't there anymore.
"Leo?" she called out to him, but the silence that returned sent a cold chill down her spine. She sat up fast, and her head reeled at the sudden movement.
"Where the hell is he?" she muttered to herself, filling her vision as her eyes darted around the room. It was eerily empty.
She stumbled into the bathroom, splashing cold water all over her face, hoping it would clear the fog in her mind.
Her reflection in the mirror was a mess with smeared eyeliner and tousled hair. "Ugh, Ivory, pull yourself together," she said aloud. She snatched a washcloth and rubbed her face clean.
"The wedding! f**k!" The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
Rushing back into the room, she rifled through her bag, pulling out a dress and hastily putting it on. She barely had time to check herself in the mirror before she dashed out, flying down the stairs.
She met her father downstairs.He looked at her and smirked. "Well, here comes the guest of honor, now we can finally get this wedding started," he teased.
Ivory groaned inwardly. "Cut it out, Dad. I didn’t even want to be here," she shot back, brushing past him.
He raised his eyebrow, really narrowing his eyes as he took in her appearance. "Where have you been, Ivory? And why do you look like you've been hit by a truck?"
She winced, only looking for a fast justification. "I—uh, I had a drink, okay? Just to unwind. But I guess I overdid it and passed out."
Her father's face turned harsh. "I have warned you time and again to stop consuming alcohol because you can't handle it."
"Ugh, I know, I know," she dismissed, waving him off. She needed deflection from such discussion in her direction. "Where's your wife? And Leo?"
"They're at the after party," he said, the lines of his face stern. "You missed the wedding."
"Of course, I know I really messed up" she muttered under her breath, thinking of the s*x she had with Leo. She quickly shut away that thought.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I know I don't support your marriage to Laura but I didn't intend to hurt you by not attending.”
His features softened a little, although his eyes remained concerned. "I know, Ivory. This hasn't been easy for you, but you'll come around, maybe even like her."
She managed a squeeze of a smile, though doubt chewed at her. "Yeah, sure, maybe."
"It'll happen," he assured her, then added, "just like you and Leo seem to be getting along better."
Ivory's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, Dad?" she inquired, trying to keep her voice steady. Was he insinuating something? Did he know?
He raised an eyebrow at her defensiveness. "You never were interested in him before. What's changed now?"
She made a show of shrugging lightly. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just curious, that's all."
"Good," he said, though his eyes rested a second too long.
"Y-Yeah, alright," Ivory echoed, her voice barely a mumble.
She checked the wall clock "So why aren't you at the after-party?"
"I had a real work Skype thing," he said. "But I'm ready to go now."
"Perfect timing. I'll ride with you."
*
The after-party was still on. Ivory had barely entered the room when her friends swamped her with a million different questions.
"Where the hell have you been?" one cawed, looking at her with mock suspicion. "You look like you've been up to something."
Ivory laughed a little, avoiding the question. "Oh, you know. Just recovering."
"Recovering from what?" teased another friend. "You've been MIA for hours!"
Ivory opened her mouth to reply, but another friend butted in. "Wait, wait. I think I know what happened."
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You hooked up with someone, didn't you?"
Ivory's heart was racing. "What? No, of course not!" She protested, but her friend wasn't convinced.
"Come on, Ivory," she winked at her playfully. "We won't tell a single soul. Spill!"
"I swear, it's not like that," she insisted, realizing just then how very loud her voice seemed to be. "I just… had a few...too many drink and passed out. That's all."
The group laughed hilariously; they didn't believe her but of course, they were willing to let it go. "Sure, sure," one of them said with a wink.
"We believe you." Ivory smiled through her horror, but she was cringing from the inside. At least they didn't guess it to the full. However, the thought of how to confront Leo still lingered in her mind, a knot of anxiety tightening in her chest. The rest of the night passed in a blur of dancing, drinks, and forced small talk.
*
*
They all arrived back at the mansion on Sunday, and the mansion was so peaceful, everyone trying to get along even though there's clear shade of discomfort.
Ivory tried to avoid Leo as much as she could, but then it was quite problematic with everybody under the same roof.
On Monday morning, Ivory sat at the kitchen table sipping her coffee as her father readied himself for work.
Her dad's phone buzzed on the counter and quickly, he took it in his hands and read the message, all color went out of his face.
The teacup he was holding dropped and broke into several pieces on impact. Ivory jumped to her feet, heart pounding.
"What happened, Dad?" she asked, her voice tight with fear and terror.
He didn’t reply; he stormed out of the house instantly.
- Writer
