Xander sat slumped in the corner of his once grand, echoing bedroom. The curtains were half drawn, letting in a cold shaft of moonlight that only made the place feel emptier. A half-empty bottle of whiskey rested on the floor beside him, its glass neck still damp from his last swig. His shirt was unbuttoned, his tie loose, and his face was pale and unshaven.The room smelled faintly of liquor and dust a scent that clung to his clothes, his breath, even his thoughts. He’d been out all day again, driving through streets he barely remembered, searching for any trace of June. He had combed through busy markets, narrow alleys, and forgotten neighborhoods, showing strangers a worn photograph of her and the baby. But every answer was the same shakes of the head, sympathetic frowns, some not even bothering to look.Now, he was here, back in this hollow mansion that once felt like power and security but now felt like a grave."I was deceived, June," he muttered, his voice hoarse and cracking.
June stumbled into the small apartment, the door slamming shut behind her with a sharp thud that echoed through the quiet night. The faint smell of alcohol clung to her clothes, her hair messy, her eyes swollen from tears and the sting of too many drinks. She dropped her handbag carelessly on the floor, not caring that its contents spilled out lipstick rolling across the tiles, her phone buzzing faintly somewhere inside.The baby’s soft breathing filled the dimly lit room. On the worn-out couch, her little one lay in a small blanket, cheeks round and peaceful, completely unaware of the storm raging inside his mother. June swayed on her feet, her hand gripping the wall for balance. She stared at him for a long moment, her chest tightening, emotions twisting violently.Her voice cracked when she finally spoke, low and broken."I shouldn’t have given birth to you," she whispered, the words tasting like poison on her tongue. She hated herself for saying it, yet she couldn’t stop.The baby
The morning was cold and gray, the kind of weather that seemed to mourn alongside the living. A fine mist hung in the air, and the sound of church bells echoed in the distance. June adjusted the little black shawl draped over her shoulders, her baby wrapped warmly in her arms. She had hardly slept all night, the weight of grief pressing against her chest. Today, she was burying her father… and she would stand by his grave no matter what.Her driver pulled up in front of the church, the tall wrought-iron gates already open for mourners. People dressed in black were walking in, their murmured conversations blending with the faint organ music playing from inside.June stepped out, her heels clicking against the wet pavement, her mourning dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. Her heart pounded harder as she approached the church entrance. She was determined—no amount of cold stares or whispered gossip would keep her from saying goodbye to her father.But as she took her first step towa
Xander sat on the cold tiled floor of the now-empty room, his back against the wall, his hands shaking as they held the last picture he took with June. The silence in the house was deafening, broken only by the occasional creak of the furniture and the soft hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen down the hall. The very walls that once echoed with June’s laughter and the baby’s gentle coos now felt hollow, like a tomb that preserved the memory of a life he had destroyed with his own hands.Tears streamed freely down his face, soaking the collar of his shirt, his chest heaving from the weight of his grief. He looked around—the once vibrant home was now stripped of warmth. June’s belongings were gone. The crib in the nursery was empty. The scent of her perfume that used to linger in the air had vanished. Even the soft humming June used to do when putting their baby to sleep was now a haunting silence.He clutched the photo to his chest, whispering brokenly, “What have I done…?”Xander
June stood with trembling hands as the phone dropped from her ear to the floor.Her knees gave out.Her heart felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times over as the voice of the doctor still echoed in her head, “I’m sorry, Ms. Williams… we lost him. It was a heart attack.”She collapsed onto the floor with a scream so guttural, so raw and broken that it could’ve cracked stone. Tears poured freely from her swollen eyes as her fingers dug into the rug beneath her. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" she kept repeating like a prayer gone wrong. "Not my father. Please, God, not my father! Please… he can’t be gone… he just can’t be gone!"She pounded her fists into the floor, knocking over the flower vase on the nearby table. The glass shattered, and so did the remaining fragments of her strength. Her breath came in sharp, painful gasps as she wailed, “Daddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I never meant to hurt you… please give me a chance to fix this. Please!”Xander, still standing in the room with
June staggered backwards as the words echoed from the phone “I’m sorry, Miss June… we lost him. Your father didn’t make it. He passed from a heart attack just moments ago.”Her hand trembled violently, and the phone slipped from her grasp, crashing to the floor. The room spun. Her knees gave way, and she sank to the ground, the weight of the moment crushing her chest like a thousand bricks.“No… no… no!” she sobbed, her voice breaking into shattered pieces. “No! This can’t be true. This can’t be real. Daddy! Please no!”Xander stood frozen, horrified by what he just heard, but too cowardly to reach out to her. “June…” he whispered, trying to get closer.But she wasn’t listening. She clutched her chest, wailing, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “Daddy, I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t know! I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought I was protecting what you built I didn’t know I was handing it over to a traitor. Please, just come back. Just… come back.”Tears streamed down her face as she scre