Part 6
The tension in the room was a physical weight,
it pressed against my chest,
it tasted like ozone,
it smelled like rain and ozone and impending disaster,
Daniel threw the folder onto the bed,
the papers scattered like white birds,
like dead leaves in a gale,
"This is a prank,"
he growled,
his voice low,
"this is some kind of sick,
twisted game,"
he looked at me,
his eyes narrowed,
"Did you do this,
Claire?"
"Did you set this up?"
I let my face crumple,
I let the hurt show,
I let the betrayal take hold,
"How dare you,"
I whispered,
my voice cracking with artificial pain,
"how could you even think that?"
"I am trying to save her,"
"I am trying to save our family,"
"and you are accusing me of playing games?"
Marissa stepped forward,
she was trying to mediate,
she was trying to stop the bleeding,
"Daniel,
stop,"
she said,
her voice desperate,
"don't say that,"
"Claire is the only one who has been helping,"
"don't alienate her,"
she was protecting the money,
she was protecting her access,
she was protecting her lifestyle,
she was a vulture,
she was a parasite,
I watched Daniel waver,
he looked at me,
he looked at her,
he looked at the sleeping girl,
he was caught in the middle of his own web,
he was entangled,
he was paralyzed,
"I just..."
he stumbled,
"I don't understand,"
"none of this makes sense,"
"the accounts are frozen,"
"the credit lines are down,"
"everything is going wrong,"
I walked to the bedside,
I smoothed Lily's hair,
"Maybe it's a sign,"
I said softly,
"maybe we have lost our way,"
"maybe we have forgotten what matters,"
"maybe we need to pay for our sins,"
Daniel flinched,
the word 'sins' hit him like a physical blow,
he stepped back,
he looked at the walls,
he looked at the ceiling,
he was trapped,
he was alone,
he was surrounded by his own ghosts,
he didn't know that I had created the ghosts,
he didn't know that I was the one haunting him,
he didn't know that I was the one orchestrating the collapse,
"I need a drink,"
he muttered,
he turned toward the door,
"I need to get out of here,"
"I need to think,"
"Stay,"
I commanded,
my voice was steel,
my voice was authority,
"you cannot leave her,"
"you cannot abandon her now,"
he stopped,
he turned,
he looked at me with hatred,
with fear,
with submission,
"Fine,"
he said,
"I'll stay,"
"but I'm going to find out who did this,"
"I'm going to find out,"
"and when I do,"
"I'm going to destroy them."
I smiled,
it was a terrifying thing to behold,
"Good luck,
May you like
Daniel,"
"you are going to need it."
