Page 145 of Broken Blades

And then…

Voices carrying through the partially open door ahead.

Raised voices.

My parents.

I stopped just before the doorway, feet freezing mid-step like my subconscious recognized danger before my conscious mind caught up.

My father's voice came first, tight and controlled in that particular way that meant he was barely holding onto his temper. "Lower your voice."

My mother laughed.

The sound scraped against something raw inside my chest—bitter and broken and soaked in alcohol. Not the polished laugh she used in public. The real one. The one that lived underneath all the careful performance.

"Oh, please. The whole room should hear this."

Ice water flooded my veins.

I should move. Should walk away. Should give them privacy for whatever marital dispute was unfolding behind that door.

But my feet had rooted to the expensive carpet like they'd grown there.

My mother's voice cracked on the next words, raw with something that might have been pain or rage or both twisted together until they were indistinguishable.

"You drag me to these parties so you can parade me around like the loyal wife."

My father's response came fast. Sharp. "You're drunk."

A beat of silence.

Then my mother's voice again, dripping with venom I'd never heard from her before. "Of course I'm drunk."

Another pause.

Longer this time.

Heavy with something I couldn't name.

"Because I have to stand here smiling while you make me socialize with your mistress."

The hallway tilted.

No.

No no no.

My hand found the wall, fingers pressing against silk wallpaper while my brain tried to process what I'd just heard. Tried to reconcile it with the perfect image I'd carried my whole life. The model marriage. The partnership I'd wanted to replicate. The foundation I'd built my entire understanding of love and commitment upon.

Silence stretched inside the room.

Then my father's voice, low and dangerous. "Enough."

My mother laughed again. Uglier this time. Broken glass and bitter truth. "Barbara gets the business. Barbara gets the attention. Barbara gets the secrets."

Barbara.

The name landed like a physical blow.