All Of It Was Nothing

PROLOGUE

It was a night of utter chaos and despair. The air was thick with tension as I bore witness to my parents engaged in a heated and brutal argument. Their voices were raised to a deafening pitch, and they seemed completely oblivious to the fact that their child was standing there, watching helplessly. The sight of them screaming at each other, completely disregarding the impact of their actions on their child, filled me with an overwhelming sense of dread and fear. It was as if my worst nightmare had finally come to life right before my very eyes.

The sound of thunder and rain drowned out their screams as I sat there silently, tears streaming down my face. The room was as cold as their fight, yet I found myself sweating profusely. Lost in thought, I suddenly realized that I had left the room and no one had even noticed. I ran out of the house, crying and stumbling on the slippery road, the rain pelting down on me relentlessly. I didn't even care that I had slipped and fallen, I just stayed there on the wet pavement staring at the place where my family was. The sight of a happy family in a nearby house caught my eye, a stark contrast to my own dysfunctional family. As I watched, a child spotted me and I quickly hid so as not to be seen. But a few moments later, the door opened and a man holding an umbrella approached me. He covered me with the umbrella and led me towards his happy family. I saw the kid holding onto the man's hand, his father, and I couldn't help but stare. The man spoke to me, his voice kind and gentle, as I looked on at their perfect family.

"Hello there, my daughter mentioned that you were looking into us a while ago. Would you like to come in? I noticed that your clothes are wet, let's get you something warm to drink and change into dry clothes".

As I gazed into this girl's eyes, a sudden rush of emotions overwhelmed me, causing my heart to skip a beat. However, I failed to react to her father's presence, as my focus was entirely fixated on her.

While gazing at the little girl we heard a loud shout that sounded like
.
.
.
My father...

As our eyes met, I noticed a hint of concern in his gaze. He then directed his attention towards the man standing in front of us, his expression now replaced with a simmering anger. The man attempted to speak up, but my companion's grip on my hand tightened, silently signaling me to follow him. As we walked away, I couldn't help but steal a glance back at the two, who were now staring at me with worried looks etched on their faces.

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"I can't help but feel this way. Is it possible even if we're still that young?" - Marley