Author POV
In a dimly lit room, moonlight seeped through the window. Two bodies collided in rough sex, filling the house with their mating calls.
In the neighboring room, which was mostly shrouded in darkness except for two candles beside a picture of a dark-skinned man placed on a low table, casting a faint glow. A girl sat on the floor, lighting two incense sticks in her hand. She placed them in a cup next to the candles, thin trails of smoke carrying a hint of peach scent.
"Hi, Dad!" she whispered. Her eyes slowly reddened as tears slid down her face while she stared at the picture, unsure where to begin. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her bloody wrist. "I tried to kill myself again," she said quietly, pausing briefly. "I am sorry, Dad," she added, lowering her head.
She carefully opened the first aid kit she had brought earlier and tended to her wrist. "It doesn't hurt, Dad," she said, glancing at the picture for a response.
"Ahh, fuck faster, Dave," the woman in the other room moaned. The girl's face tightened in disgust. "Don't listen, Dad, it's disgusting," she said with a grimace. "Done," she announced, showing her wrist to the picture. The first aid kit was set aside. She leaned back on her bed with a small smile. "Aoife O'Flynn, the smartest girl you always said," she said, gazing at the picture with affection. She exhaled deeply, continuing to talk until she fell asleep.
In the morning, sunlight gradually seeped into the room, shining directly on the girl's face. She jolted upright and looked at the alarm clock beside her bed, which read 6:30Am. "Shit," she cursed, roughly pulling her hair over her face. She stood up and wandered lazily, following the trail of blood leading to the scene of her suicide attempt. She cleaned up the mess before washing herself. Coming out of the, butt-naked, she quickly dressed, careful to avoid staining her white shirt with blood. Wearing her suit and shoes, she quickly looked at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes stared back at her. "Aoife means beautiful and radiant, just like you. Your eyes, my darling, remind me of my mother," her dad always said. She shrugged it off, packed her hair into a messy bun, put on her suit, and grabbed her bag from the dressing table. "Bye, Dad," she shouted, closing the door.
She ran down the stairs to find a man, butt-naked, in the sitting room, trying to put on his clothes. The lady lay on the couch, naked and restless. Quietly, she passed them by to go unnoticed. "Hey, beautiful," the man smirked at her as he buckled his belt. Her brows furrowed as she ignored the man, whom she assumed was Dave from last night's screams. She headed towards the kitchen .
She fried the egg until it was nearly burnt, absentmindedly. "Are you done?" she asked, turning off the gas. The lady behind her folded her arms and leaned on the doorframe. She smelled like a mix of drugs and sex. "I am not discussing my sex life with you," she snapped. The girl shrugged at whatever the lady said and carefully placed the egg on a plate. "Last night a lady came to the bar and preached about the devil, and guess what I told her?" she asked, pausing for a while. "I already live with the devil, which is you, Tehilya, and I fucking hate the lady, freaking slut," she continued.
Tehilya turned around and smiled, "I love you, Mom," she said. Her mom's eyes narrowed, "I hate your eyes, they remind me of your freaking dad," she said, walking slowly toward Tehilya. Tehilya's chest tightened at those words. "Dad will always be the hero who
Witch
. You didn't even attend his funeral, and all Dad ever did wrong was to love you," she shouted with so much anger. Her mom glared, "That was never love," she said calmly. Tehilya's jaw tightened. "F*** off," she spat. Immediately, she received a hot slap on her cheek. Tehilya froze for a moment before violently pushing her mom and storming out of the house, slamming the entrance door closed. She quickly exhaled as a smile crept onto her face. She made her mom angry, and that was her happiness.