The Supernova Effect

Chapter 17

Amir
(A year before his death)

The walls in our house were thick.

Too thick.

Designed to keep noise out.

Or maybe keep secrets in.

But no matter how expensive the house was, no amount of marble floors or high ceilings could completely drown out the sound of my parents fighting.

Especially not my father.

His voice carried through the halls sharp enough to make me pause mid-scroll on my phone.

I sat up slowly in bed, listening.

Money.

Again.

It was always about money with them.

Investments.

Business deals.

Who lost what.

Who owed who.

People liked to act like money solved problems, but honestly I think having too much of it just made people crueler. Hungrier. Like no matter how much they had, they needed more just to feel alive.

My parents were like that.

Love and business were never supposed to mix.

At least not the way they did it.

Their relationship felt less like a marriage and more like two people constantly trying to win against each other.

My father's voice suddenly rose louder.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You do stupid shit all the fucking time!"

I flinched slightly.

Then something crashed.

A loud crack echoed through the house followed by complete silence.

Not normal silence.

The kind that made your stomach drop before your brain even caught up.

I was already out of my room before I fully realized I'd moved.

Their bedroom door was partially open when I got there.

My mother was on the floor.

My father stood a few feet away staring at her with a look I'd never seen on him before.

Panic.

My mom held her hand against her face while quiet sobs shook through her shoulders.

For a second nobody noticed me standing there.

Then my father looked up.

His expression hardened instantly.

Without saying a word, he brushed past me and walked out of the room.

A few seconds later the front door slammed downstairs.

I stood frozen in the doorway trying to process what I'd just seen.

Because my father had a temper.

Everybody knew that.

But he'd never—

At least I didn't think he had.

"Ma?" I said quietly.

I hurried over, crouching beside her on the floor.

Mascara streaked down her cheeks, and beneath the ruined makeup I could already see swelling forming around her right eye.

"I'm okay," she whispered immediately.