It was late at night when Mr White’s younger self shoved the door open, thunder rumbling with cracks of lightning as the rain fell heavily. He teetered in his drunken state, and Alicia, still a teenager, ran to her father and steadied him.


    “Father!” she cried, struggling to support him. She glanced at the door for any sign of Olive, her father’s secretary, for help, but there was no sign of him. Where is he? she wondered, then looked back at Mr White.


    “You need to come with me, Dad. I’ll help you to your room,” she said, guiding him towards the stairs. “Why did you get yourself this drunk?” she muttered, almost talking to herself. She had never seen her father in such a state, and it worried her as Mr White blenched and stumbled along the way to his room.


    Once in the room, Alicia carefully led him to the bed. As she tried to help him lie down, he suddenly pushed her onto the bed and pulled himself over her.


    Considering his drunken state, Alicia tried to push him off, but Mr White pinned her arms down. Alicia gasped and struggled.


    “Let me go, Dad! What are you doing?”


    “Shuuuu!” Mr White muttered, and Alicia fell silent, staring at his face, confused by what he was trying to do.


    “Can’t you feel it’s stuffy? You need to get yourself out of this dress!” Mr White murmured. He grunted as Alicia resisted him, fighting to keep her dress on.


    “Be a good girl! Be a good girl!” he warned irritably, forcing kisses onto her lips.


    “Stop! Stop, Dad! Stop!” Alicia cried. “Don’t… please… please!”


    She shouted the last word aloud, jerking awake from her nightmare, panting and sweating profusely. She switched on the white bedside lamp and buried her face in her hands.


    She stayed like that for a few minutes until her breathing steadied. She looked at the ceiling, sighed, then glanced at the clock on the shelf. It was 6:10 am. She listened to the ticking of the second hand in the silence. As it reached the 12, she yawned and climbed out of bed.


    Just as she was about to enter the bathroom, her phone beeped. She walked to the dressing table to check it.


    “HAPPY NEW MONTH!” flashed on the phone’s screen as she unlocked it. “IT’S MAY, DARLING. Wishing you all the best.”Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    A smile crept over Alicia’s face; she sat on the armchair at her dressing table and replied: “THANKS, JEFF. And I wish you the same.” Realising he wasn’t online, she texted Wilson “NEW MONTH” with her best wishes before finally heading into the bathroom for her morning shower.


    **********************************************************************


    Alicia was dusting off the chairs in the sitting room when she heard a knock at the door. She was surprised to see Jeff so early in the morning.


    Jeff stood at the door, his pink lips smiling. His tall, wiry frame was dressed in jeans, a jacket over a white round-neck shirt, and joggers, paired with sneakers. His black, curly flat-top hair complemented his fair skin, giving him an elegant look. He held a small white carrier bag.


    “You!” Alicia blinked at Jeff and laughed. “It’s early. I wasn’t expecting you.”


    “I knew you wouldn’t,” he said, nodding as he walked in. “And this is for you.” He handed her the bag.


    “What’s in here?” Alicia asked curiously, taking the bag. She opened it and took out a small black box. “What’s this?” she asked, glancing at Jeff as she examined it.


    “Check it out,” Jeff urged, hands in his pockets.


    When Alicia opened the box, she found a sparkling golden necklace. Her eyes widened in amazement as she looked up at Jeff.


    “I tried to get this exact necklace last week but couldn’t. How did you know I wanted it?”


    “That’s a secret,” Jeff replied with a self-satisfied smirk. “It’s a new month!” he exclaimed, settling into a chair.


    “It’s expensive. This must have cost you a bit,” Alicia remarked, sitting beside him as she admired the necklace, holding it between her fingers as it dangled.


    “I heard in the news that your father resigned and the…”


    “Please, Jeff,” Alicia interrupted, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “Don’t bring him up.”


    Jeff noticed the strained lines on Alicia’s forehead and furrowed his brows. “I doubt you had a good night’s sleep.”


    “I’m fine,” she muttered, looking away.


    “The nightmare again,” Jeff whispered.


    “I said I’m fine,” she retorted, putting the necklace back in its box and placing it back in the bag. “I was cleaning the chairs before you came in,” she said, picking up her duster.


    “There’s always so much on your mind, Alicia,” Jeff said, standing up, his voice filled with concern. “How do you expect me to stay quiet?”


    Alicia turned to face him fully, smirking. “And how do you know I’ve got a lot on my mind?” She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Do you have some insight?”


    “You don’t need to tell me, Alicia. I know you better than you think. I can read you like a book if I’m calm enough. Besides, Ivan told me what happened at Wilson’s birthday party last night; he mentioned how he had…”


    “Really?” Alicia questioned, stepping closer to Jeff, her eyes searching his as if looking for answers. “Tell me, Jeff. Have you been spying on me?”


    Jeff sighed, “I haven’t.”


    “Then how did he find out?”


    “You need to stop this, Alicia. All I want you to know is that this guy isn’t for you. He doesn’t love you!”


    Furious, Alicia slapped Jeff. “You have no right to tell me what’s for me or not. We’re just friends, and you have no right to interfere in my personal life,” she warned.


    “Oh?” Jeff chuckled, unphased by the slap. “Just… just friends!” he scoffed, laughing. “And what about all these years of friendship? You knew me before him. Who’s been there to comfort you when no one else was? Me! It’s always been me, Alicia. And even now, you still come to me for comfort,” he added bitterly.


    “Leave!” Alicia shouted, pointing at the door, her lips trembling. “Get out of my house, Jeff.”


    “You’ll never understand, no matter how much I try to explain. You might think…” Jeff paused, sighing. “You might think my emotions and anger are only driven by jealousy. I won’t deny I’m jealous of your feelings for him, but…” he stepped closer until they could feel each other’s breath. “It’s more than that, Alicia.”


    “Thank you, but I’ll never understand. And I’m not ready to, especially while you continue going against him.” She grabbed the bag and thrust it back into Jeff’s hands. “If you think this will win my heart, you’re wrong,” she said, holding his hands firmly around the bag.


    As she said this, the door creaked open and Wilson walked in. As Alicia saw Wilson, she stepped away from Jeff immediately, forcing a smile.