His Knees, His Pleas, But Our Son's in Peace

11

Issca. He had appeared out of nowhere, his voice calm but commanding. The man looked up at him, sizing him up, and then-thankfully-decided it wasn't worth it. He backed off with a muttered curse, disappearing into the crowd. I breathed a sigh of relief, my hands still trembling. Issca sat down next to me, his face filled with concern. "You okay, Doris?"

I nodded, but my voice was shaky when I answered. "Yeah... I think so."

Issca looked at the nearly empty glass in front of me. "How much have you had to drink?"

I blinked, trying to remember. "Not enough," I mumbled, though my head was already spinning. The alcohol hadn't quite dulled the ache inside me, but it was getting close. I didn't want to think about tomorrow. About the wedding. About Nathan.

"I don't think you should have any more," Issca said gently. He glanced around, clearly worried about leaving me here alone. "Come on, I'll take you home."

I hesitated, the fog of alcohol clouding my judgment. "I'm getting married tomorrow," I muttered. "You can't... just take me home like this." 14:56

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Issca gave me a soft smile, but there was an edge of sadness in his eyes. "I know, Doris. I'll just drop you off at the door. I won't even come inside." I didn't argue any further. In my drunken state, I didn't have the energy to. The night passed in a blur, Íssca helping me out of the bar and into his car. True to his word, when we reached my house, he left me at the door. My mother was home that night, and she helped me inside, guiding me to bed.

Nothing happened. Issca did what any good friend would have done.

But none of that mattered now.

***

Nathan stood in front of me, eyes blazing, as if my silence confirmed his worst suspicions. "If Sienna hadn't told me," he said through clenched teeth, "you would've kept this a secret for the rest of your life, wouldn't you?" -

Sienna. Of course. Her name made my stomach twist. The constant

meddling, the venomous words she whispered into Nathan's ear,

poisoning him against me. And now, she had him convinced that I had betrayed him with Issca.

I raised an eyebrow, my voice cold. "What exactly did she tell you?"

Nathan scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Don't play dumb, Doris.

You think I don't know what happened? You didn't just get into Issca's car that night. You took him upstairs. He stayed with you the whole night."