After what seemed like an eternity, Fiona finally returned home.
The house was quiet as she walked through the front door, her movements quick and deliberate. Without making eye contact with anyone, she headed straight for her bedroom and closed the door behind her. The sound of the door clicking shut was heavy, but her parents, who had been sitting in the living room, didn't utter a word. They knew better. They knew that anything they said right now would fall on deaf ears. Fiona wasn't in a place to listen.
Maya and Anne, two of Fiona's closest friends, had been with her earlier but chose to leave the house around the time she arrived. They, too, felt the tension that hung in the air.
Fiona's parents exchanged a silent glance, both understanding the gravity of the situation. They had watched their daughter change over the past few weeks, the light in her eyes fading, her laughter becoming a rare sound in the house. They hadn't pushed her to talk about it because they knew she needed time to process everything. But deep down, they both hoped this wasn't the end.
Daniel's POV:
Daniel sat on the sofa in his family's living room, staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. His mother, Mrs. Isabella, sat beside him, while his father, Mr. Thomas, was on the other side. They were worried, and the silence in the room was thick with unspoken words. Daniel had been quiet ever since they got home. His usually confident and composed demeanor had crumbled, leaving him a shell of the person he once was.
He hadn't said a single word since the morning. His mind was spinning, thoughts racing from one regret to another, but nothing made sense. How had it all come to this? The divorce papers had been signed, and yet, he felt like everything had happened in a blur, like he hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation until it was too late.
Mrs. Isabella broke the silence first, her voice soft but filled with concern. "Daniel, none of us wanted this. Your divorce with Fiona—it's not what anyone hoped for. She loves you. You know that, don't you? What happened? What led her to take such a drastic step?"
Daniel didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the floor. The weight of his mother's words settled over him like a heavy blanket, suffocating in its reality. How could he explain something he didn't even fully understand himself?
His father, Mr. Thomas, sighed deeply and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Son, we arranged this marriage because you wanted it. Fiona is a simple, good-hearted girl. But the problem is, you never let her understand how much you loved her. You kept your feelings locked away, and she did everything she could to break through those walls. At some point, her heart was bound to break. And, Daniel, you're not without fault here."
Mrs. Isabella gently placed her hand on her husband's arm, her voice softening even further. "Why are you telling him this now? Can't you see he's not in a good place? This isn't the time…"
But the words fell on deaf ears. Daniel wasn't really hearing any of it. Their voices blended into the background, overshadowed by the deafening noise in his own mind. Without a word, he stood up and made his way to his room, shutting the door behind him with a finality that echoed through the house.
Inside, he sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window at the world outside, his mind replaying the last few months in painful detail. He had never cried for anyone before, never allowed himself that vulnerability. But tonight, he felt the unfamiliar burn of tears in his eyes, and for the first time, he didn't fight it. His heart ached with a heaviness he couldn't shake, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't make sense of the emptiness inside him.
Fiona had left. She had walked out of his life, and he had let her go. The thought of it was unbearable, but what was worse was knowing that she had left because she had misunderstood him—because he hadn't shown her just how much she meant to him.
Unable to bear the weight of it all, Daniel stood up, grabbed his car keys, and left the house without saying a word to his parents. He needed to get out, to escape the suffocating atmosphere that had taken over his home. His parents, still sitting in the living room, exchanged worried glances but didn't stop him. They knew he needed space, even though they feared where this spiral would lead him.
Daniel got into his car and drove, the streets blurring past him as he pushed the speedometer higher and higher. He didn't care about the danger. The possibility of an accident didn't faze him. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Fiona, by the what-ifs and the could-have-beens. It was like a storm raging inside him, and he didn't know how to calm it.
After driving for what felt like hours, he finally pulled up to a bar. It was the kind of place he hadn't been to in months, a place he had sworn off after things got serious with Fiona. But now, all of that seemed irrelevant. He needed something to dull the pain, and alcohol was the quickest solution.
He walked in, found a seat at the bar, and ordered a drink. Then another. And another. The burning sensation of the liquor going down his throat was the only thing that seemed to ground him, the only thing that pulled him out of his chaotic thoughts, if only for a moment.
Just as he was about to order another drink, a familiar voice broke through the haze.
Max, one of Daniel's old friends, approached him with a concerned look on his face. "Hey Daniel, what's going on, man? What are you doing here? Didn't you quit drinking?"
Daniel didn't respond. He just lifted the glass to his lips and took another swig, his eyes distant and unfocused.
Max sat down beside him, clearly worried. "Why aren't you saying anything? And what's going on with you? You don't look good."
It was then that Max noticed Daniel's eyes—red and swollen, the unmistakable signs of someone who had been crying. It shocked him. In all the years he had known Daniel, he had never seen him like this.
"Daniel, are you okay?" Max's voice was softer now, more cautious. "What happened? You can tell me, man."
For a moment, it seemed like Daniel wouldn't say anything at all. But then, his voice broke through the silence, shaky and filled with pain.
"Everything's over, Max," Daniel said, his words slurred from the alcohol. Tears welled up in his eyes again, and this time, he didn't fight them. "It's all over."
Max furrowed his brow, confused. "What do you mean? What's over? What are you talking about?"
Daniel shook his head, his hands trembling as he set his glass down on the bar. "I did everything for her, Max. I loved her more than I've ever loved anyone, and she left. She left because she didn't understand. She never understood how much she meant to me."
Max sat quietly for a moment, trying to process what Daniel was saying. He had known about Daniel's relationship with Fiona, but he hadn't realized things had gotten this bad.
"I'm sorry, man," Max said, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "But you can't do this to yourself. Drinking won't fix anything."
Daniel let out a bitter laugh, his eyes still glistening with tears. "Nothing can fix this, Max. It's too late. I've lost her, and I don't know how to live without her."
The weight of Daniel's words hung in the air between them, and for the first time, Max realized just how deeply his friend was hurting. And in that moment, he knew that Daniel was far from okay.