I screamed in agony as I walked from one room to another, throwing anything within reach onto the floor. It felt as though if I broke enough things, maybe the pressure inside me would finally crack open and leave me alone.
But it never worked.
It never did.
Suddenly, I heard a knock.
I froze.My pulse raced, and my breathing came out in harsh bursts.
None of my previous outbursts had ever drawn anyone’s attention. No one had ever come to check on me before.
Ignoring it, I continued moving through the house until I heard another knock.
This time it came from the window.
I turned.
Jiya’s face peered through the glass.
“Go away!” I shouted.
When I heard nothing afterward, I continued stumbling through the wreckage toward the kitchen in search of anotherbottle of beer. The house reeked of alcohol, sweat, and dust, but I did not care anymore.
As I chugged the beer down, I heard the front door open.
“I told you to go away,” I roared as I marched toward the intruder. “That was not code for you to come inside.”
It was Jiya.
Her son stood outside with a dog beside him.
My six-foot-three frame moved toward her slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. I knew how I must have looked—unkempt, furious, half-drunk, and barely human. Some part of me figured she would run.
“I came to check if you were okay,” she said calmly. “By the looks of it, you do not seem to be.” Her eyes swept across the room.
Glass, wood, and porcelain were scattered everywhere.
“I said leave,” I growled.
“No,” she replied firmly, staring up at me despite the height difference between us.
The scent of her perfume drifted toward me, mixing with the smell of my own body odour. My eyes locked onto hers.
“Suit yourself,” I said coldly. “Do not blame me if something happens to you.”
I turned and went upstairs, leaving bloody footprints behind me. The exhaustion finally caught up with me. The moment I reached my bed, I collapsed onto it and passed out.
When I woke up later,my head felt heavy and foggy. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and placed my feet on the floor.
That was when I noticed the bandage wrapped around my foot.
Frowning, I remembered someone entering the house, but I could not clearly recall the face or the conversation.
Panic surged through me.
I rushed out of my room and stomped downstairs.
Then I stopped.
