Page 3 of Pretty Poison

“I let her know before I left the office. I hope that’s okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” I reassure him. “I was just wondering, that’s all.” He gives me a subtle nod before walking over and kissing my forehead, then turning to walk towards his office.

∞∞∞

“Which one?” Annie asks, lifting two dresses to her slim figure in my floor-length mirror, but I stare at her blankly, my mind void of any thoughts except for the ones swimming around with curiosity and a slight hint of tension about tonight.

She alternates the dresses in front of her body, trying to make a decision, until suddenly, she’s seating herself next to me. “What’s going on up here, Lia?” She presses the tip of her finger to the side of my head and I exhale in defeat.

“I-I don’t know anymore, Annie. My father… he doesn’t seem like himself anymore,” I whisper softly. “He’s not the same man he used to be. He’s grown more… closed off, secluding himself within some sort of barrier that prevents him from sharing anything with me.”

She positions herself in front of me in a squatting position. “He’s fine, Lia; he’s a busy man. Work is stressful for a man of his stature.”

I know she’s right, but even so, it seems like he’s distancing himself, and for twenty-three years he’s been nothing but straightforward with me. Even as a child, he ensured I knewhow wicked and distorted the world was to prepare me for life through the camera lens.

I nod to assure her I understand, but I don’t. Not fully. Is he struggling with work? Is his marriage crumbling? What happened to the father I had growing up?

Distracting me from my thoughts, Chiara walks in already dressed to the nines with a light face of makeup, a deep red dress to match my father’s tie, a pair of black three-inch stiletto heels and adorned with her favourite jewellery for special occasions.

“Come on, girls, we’ve got like twenty minutes before they arrive. Get a move on.”

“Are you and Dad alright?” I ask, lifting my head to her without missing a beat. “I mean, does he seem off to you?”

“Thank God, you’ve noticed it too,” she sighs with relief, rushing towards me. “Do you think he still loves me? I mean, I know I’m significantly younger than him, but—”

“He loves you with everything he has, Chiara, and so do I. Your age doesn’t make a difference here. He knew how old you were before your marriage; why would that change now?”

She puffs her cheeks out as she exhales again. “Maybe it’s just work,” she suggests in an optimistic tone. “As of late, he’s been overworking himself. I know he’s the boss, but he takes his job too seriously. He lets one wrong thing ruin his entire day.”

“Let’s hope this business dinner makes things better.”God, I don’t even believe my own words.

She smiles, placing a gentle hand over mine. “I’m sure it will. Now come on, get dressed.”

Lifting myself off the bed, I make my way over to the dresses Anabel hung on the back of my door, the same ones she couldn’tchoose from a few moments ago. “I like this one; it compliments you.” I hold up the olive-green dress that sets off her dark brown eyes. “Your black chunky heels would be a perfect match. You know, the ones with the ties that wrap up your legs?” She nods, understanding my exact choice and rushes out of the room.

I laugh, walking over to the bed and placing the dress on top of it before turning back to the array of others hanging on my closet door.

“I’m going to check on your father,” Chiara says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Will you be ready soon?”

I nod. “Yeah, I think I know what I want to wear.”

She smiles before disappearing, the clack of her heels descending the hallway.

I’ve always wondered what my mother would think if she caught me perusing through her dresses. It’s like someone hung her whole life up on a rail and folded it into drawers, as if she were never a person, but a belonging to keep.

While my father has moved on to a great woman, he still doesn’t have the heart to rid the room of her things. I think somewhere deep down, he still has hope she’ll return and explain everything. He’d forgive her in a heartbeat, I just know it, but where would that leave me? Where would that leave Chiara? His biggest weakness will always be the love he has for my mother. She left a wonderful man and her daughter to do God knows what, and I will never be able to forgive her for the pain she’s caused.

∞∞∞

“Liana! Anabel!” My father beckons, his booming voice vibrating through the house.

“We’ll be down in a minute!” Anabel answers, annoyance sounding in her voice.

She has been by my side since college, making herself a permanent part of our family with her long stays here. My father treats her like a daughter, and he’s like a father to her.

Her own father has been absent her whole life. He stuck around a measly eighteen months, long enough to completely bankrupt the business my father helped him build. He was a pathetic excuse of a man, one who changed my father and how he viewed the world, and anyone who has had the displeasure of working with him would agree. Her stepfather, on the other hand, treats her as if she’s his own flesh and blood.

Glancing at myself once more in the mirror, I rake my eyes over the black silk dress I chose. The backless, breast-accentuating, skin-tight dress fits me like a glove, but it’s not my usual style. The colour, however, is what caught my attention in the first place. Black is my favourite, besides purple, of course. It reminds me that the world is and always will be black and white with a splash of colour here and there.

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