The Trap Of Ace

Read The Trap Of Ace [by Eva Zahan] Chapter 37 – Taking a sip on the tea, I ran my eyes on the newspaper. The noise of Mom’s chopping vegetables and moving utensils in the kitchen rang across. But nothing moved my attention from the paper, not even her curious glances.

“You know, the Blackwood’s daughter ran off with her cousin’s fiance?” Her sigh resonated from the opposite side of the counter. “I got to know from the kitty party last night. Children these days, I don’t know what runs in their head.”

I flipped another page. The business column.

“Your aunt called me this morning to inform me how she’s enjoying her vacation in Switzerland with her third husband and soon will be sending me some pictures of their little honeymoon.” She snorted. “As if I wanted to know anyway. I’m glad that your Dad didn’t go after his elder sister. Thank G*d she’s not in the country right now. At least I got some relief from her frequent visits.”

I stayed quiet. Not warning her about Dad’s hearing her slandering about his sister to me just like I did every time.

“Em?”

“Yeah,” I answered, my voice came out croaky.

“You need some more tea?”

I shook my head, not looking up at her.

“Are you okay, honey?” she asked, hesitating.

This time I did glance at her, plastering a small smile on my face. “Yeah, why do you ask?”

Her identical eyes observed me. “You’re looking… tired. Didn’t get any sleep last night?”

I knew what she was indicating. The dark circles, the puffy eyes.

Nothing goes missing from mother’s eyes, does it?

A squeeze in my chest had me take a deep breath. I wish I could tell her.

“Nothing like that, Mom. I did sleep last night. Just having a headache since the morning. It’ll get better, don’t worry.”

“So that’s why you didn’t go to the office today?” Concern etched into her features. “Why didn’t you tell me? Did you get medicines?”

I nodded. “Yes, I did. I’ve also informed Caleb about it. I took a leave today.”

“Good. Take some rest. You’re taking too much work stress nowadays.”

Work wasn’t the issue at all. They barely gave me any actual work to do for taking stress.

Smiling at her, I looked back at the newspaper. The newspaper I’d been sitting with for the last half an hour. Not reading, just staring.

The clicking of heels against the tiled floor reached my ear. My fists clenched.

I thought you’d an appointment for cake tasting today. Are you done

Caleb this morning. It ran three hours long.” Placing her designer bag on the counter, she

my teeth, not reciprocating. My eyes glued

indicated that she noticed the

some tea for Em,

Tess,

steamy tea, Mom excused to talk to Dad regarding something and left us alone. And not wanting to sit with her alone in the kitchen, I got up from

messages? You didn’t even go to the office today. He’s a mess right now, Em. That guy was outside of our house the entire night, and you didn’t even let him explain

her in disbelief. She was accusing me here of being the cause of his misery when she’s the one who should

me away from him. She was aware of everything but yet didn’t even try to tell me once in these years. And here she dared to

After what he did, after you did, you’re telling me to give him a chance

Em. And I’m extremely sorry for that. You don’t know how guilty I’ve been feeling for hurting you like that. But, Em,

anything good in my suffering

love. I’ve experienced it. And I also know that we shouldn’t have done it. But at that moment, we were young, Em. We didn’t know how to handle this matter other

opening them

told you about his condition back then, but he didn’t tell you of the severity of it. He was going through a living h**l. And I, Caleb and Tobis saw it. We saw him writhing in pain in his bed when he didn’t get his dose. We heard his screams from his nightmares. No matter how much he tried to get over it, he couldn’t. And no one in their

situation shook me from my core. An urge to reach out to him rose

to get out of it ever. And when I told him about your plan to confess to him that night,

did, we did for you.” She added, moisture

you guys couldn’t tell me. But I was young enough for that scene you guys created to have me shattered completely,” I said, composing my features into coldness. “Anyways, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. You

high, I turned around to

him once. Don’t just shut him off like that,” she almost pleaded. “You don’t know what you mean to him, Em.

thickness down my throat, I walked out of the kitchen, without saying

***

to every curve of my body, soaking me into its heat, relaxing the knots of my shoulders.

was physically churning a dagger into

place over my heart, I slided down the glass wall of the shower and hugged my

Why?”

the wound I got that night had been scratched anew. I felt the same pain, the same agnony I endured years ago. And the irony was, the incident I’ve suffered for so long for wasn’t even real. It was all a sham. A joke. A cruel joke life had thrown at

they did it for my own good. To save me from getting hurt. But did they really save me from getting hurt? No, they only had thrown me into the ocean of tears I’d flown every night in silence after that night. They had thrown me to the disgust I’d

thought it’d be good for me by

push you away

to know how easily they broke my numerous dreams, intense emotions

to explain anything. You’ve done enough already! Leave me alone!” I’d snapped at his face when he’d tried to stop

“Rosebud, please! Just hear me out. I had no choice. I couldn’t let you ruin your life waiting for me. Trust me, I’d never wanted anyone else in my life the way I’d wanted you. You were my

away?” eyes filled with tears, I’d asked him. “Now I’ll make your wish come true for real this time. I’ll go so far away from you that you’ll never be

pain in his eyes couldn’t surpass the one I’d in my heart in

turned away from him and ran away from there. From the man I never knew would hurt

for air. My nails dug into my palms as I cried my heart out. But the b**n inside me didn’t go