Chapter 4: Slammed Shut

Flashback Continuation...

Thalia’s POV

The morning light filtered softly through the cracked blinds of my apartment, but I barely felt its warmth.

Sleep had come and gone like a thief, slipping through my fingers as my thoughts stayed tangled with everything that had happened the night before.

I hadn’t congratulated Alina aft6er last night's celebration.

I left her there. In the middle of what was supposed to be the happiest night of her life.

And now, guilt gnawed at my chest like a dull blade.

After everything, I told myself that today...no matter how heavy my heart still felt, I had to make it right.

So I took a bath and picked a soft cream blouse, something neat and simple. My eyes were hollow, rimmed with the ache of a sleepless night, but I pulled my hair back and forced my lips into a smile.

She deserved this. She deserved someone who could be happy for her, even if I wasn’t.

Even if my heart still clenched every time I closed my eyes and saw Mikael’s face not looking at me, not ever looking at me the way he looked at her. Even if the memory of him kneeling before her replayed in perfect clarity the moment I let my guard down.

Even if I loved him.

Even if I still did.

Alina was my friend. She was more than that. She was my sister in every way that mattered.

She’d given me laughter when I forgot how to smile, steadiness when the world fell apart, and belonging when I thought no one would ever see me. For years, she had been my family.

And loving Mikael… would never be a good enough reason to lose her.

So I pressed a hand to my chest, steadying my breath, and whispered to the reflection in the mirror that I can do this.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time I reached her condominium, the sun had risen higher, warming the pavement as I stood outside her door with a box of her favorite croissants and a bouquet of soft white tulips that she always said they reminded her of spring.

Then I knocked carefully.

At first, there was no answer. Just a faint shuffle from within. Then, the door slowly creaked open.

Alina stood there in one of her oversized shirts, her eyes puffy and rimmed with red.

"Alina…?" I took a tentative step forward as concern tightened in my chest. “Hey, I… I came to congratulate you. I didn’t get the chance to last night and I—”

But the words died in my throat as her expression shifted.

Her lips pressed together into a hard line, her jaw tightened as she looked away from me, like even the sight of me physically hurt her.

“I don’t want to talk right now, Thalia,” she said. “Please… just go.”

I blinked, stunned. Her tone wasn’t cold. She was angry. And her hands trembled slightly at her sides.

“Wait—Alina… what’s going on?” I tried to meet her gaze, to reach her somehow. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

But she didn’t answer.

My worry pushed me forward and I gently pushed at the door before she could close it again. “Please, just let me in for a second. I can help if—”

“No!” she snapped, startling me.

But I had already seen past her.

The living room was a mess. Clothes were scattered across the floor. Pillows had been tossed aside. One of her framed photos lay facedown on the coffee table, its glass cracked.

The whole place looked like it had been turned upside down.

“Alina…” I whispered, stepping further inside despite her protest. My eyes scanned the wreckage of her living space like the crumpled clothes, the overturned cushions, the shattered glass by the window.

I clutched the tulips tighter, my chest tightening with concern. “What… what is all this?”

She didn’t answer immediately. I heard her steps behind me, and then her voice suddenly sounding a little darker.

“I told you to go.”

I turned to face her. “Alina, wait. I just want to talk. I want to know if you’re—”

“Go.” Her tone rose like a wave cresting too fast.

“Alina—”

“Get out!” she screamed, suddenly closing the distance between us. Her arms shot forward, slamming into my chest as she shoved me hard toward the door. “I hate you!”

The words struck harder than her hands.

I stumbled back, nearly dropping the flowers. My mouth opened in disbelief and my voice faltered.

“Wh… what?” I breathed.

Her eyes were wet in tears of anger. But she didn’t explain. She didn’t offer a reason.

She just stood there with her fists clenched at her sides, and her entire body trembling.

“I don’t want to see you, Thalia. Not now. Not ever,” she hissed. “So go. Leave before I say something worse.”

My throat tightened at her words. “Alina, please—”

“LEAVE!”

Her scream echoed through the whole place.

I stood frozen for a second longer, caught between wanting to stay and fearing that if I did, I would break something beyond repair.

So I stepped back.

I placed the tulips down on the entryway table with shaking hands, careful not to make a sound.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream back and demand to know what I’d done. But I said nothing.

Because this wasn’t the Alina I knew.

And as I was completely out of the door, her glare cut through me one last time before she slammed the door shut without another word.