The Closest
Stranger.

Chapter One

It's two o'clock. The cold breeze keeps striking me through the open window. And here I am, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to brush away the memories of my past. Tears burn in my eyes and roll down my cheeks as my head grows heavy with thoughts that haunt me every second.

Every night has passed like this ever since that incident took place. I keep trying to forget it, but the scenes from the past refuse to leave me alone.

I remember the days of my childhood, when my father would lose his temper with my mother. Everything had begun after my mother found out about my father's affair with her “best friend”, something she learned because of me.

My father was one of the biggest businessmen in London. He worked on big ideas late at night and sometimes spoke to someone on the phone whom nobody knew about. Yes, I belonged to a family that was rich beyond measure. But nobody saw the darkness of violence behind the glitter of luxury.

I remember the day my father returned home from work and slammed the heavy oak door so loudly that my heart jumped. I was sitting on my bed with my head buried in my knees after seeing my mother break down in tears because of what I had told her.

I had told her about my dad and Aunt Alicia the previous night, when she had gone out to buy him a birthday gift. I didn't understand what was happening between them when I saw them together. I only knew that something was wrong. Neither of them noticed me watching from the edge of the slightly open door.

I was still sitting on my bed when I heard the door slam. Then came my father's voice, raised in anger, followed by my mother's trembling attempts to argue with him.

That was when our house help and my babysitter, Aria, opened the door to my room. I almost jumped out of bed from fright, but I felt an enormous sense of relief when I saw her.

Aria was my best companion. She used to drop me at school and pick me up, feed me with her hands, take care of me, play with me, and comfort me whenever my parents argued in loud voices. Whenever things became frightening at home, she was the person who made me feel safe.

Aria sat beside me on the edge of the bed and pulled me into her arms.

“Hey, darling. Look at me. Listen to me, okay? You are completely safe right now. Right here with me, you are safe.”

I felt comfortable and warm in her arms, and eventually I fell asleep beside her that night.

But the very next day, I woke to the sound of police sirens and an ambulance outside. I got out of bed and went downstairs to see what had happened.

What I saw left me completely stunned.

For a moment, it felt as though I had lost the ability to hear or feel anything. My mother was there with the police, visibly shaken and injured. My father's body lay in the hall near the couch, and the scene around him was enough to make me freeze.

I stood there with my eyes wide open, tears running down my face. I was so shocked and scared that the voices around me seemed distant. I couldn't understand what was happening.

Pieces of an expensive vase were being collected by a police officer as evidence. Then hospital staff entered and carefully covered my father's body before taking him away.

My mother stood there with her head bowed, her expression unreadable.

Aria, who had been speaking with the police, noticed me. Her eyes filled with concern as she hurried towards me. She pulled me into her arms and led me back to my bedroom.