STEEL CITY

Chapter 7

When she got home she sat in her living room and stared blankly at her TV screen, the entire house was as quiet as a graveyard, you could even hear the sound of a pin drop. She stayed like that for two hours straight and finally, the seemingly lifeless mannequin moved. She picked up her phone and called Mira who answered on the first ring.

"How did it go," Mira's worried voice echoed in the quiet house.

"I don't even know, they came clean about their relationship and they're not remorseful, Imogen dared to tell me she was helping Ethan get out of an unhappy and unhealthy relationship, Ethan said I am toxic and crazy, and to make matters worse my dad was in on it Mira, my entire family was using me," Daphne said crying.

" I feel so empty yet I feel like I'm going crazy, I've been so foolish all the signs were there but I ignored them and now I'm paying the price of giving my all, I need my best friend," Daphne choked out in between sobs.
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In the Cy mansion, a young lady was sitting at the edge of her bed her face was filled with worry as she listened to her friend sob at the other end of the phone, the last time she heard Daphne cry like this was when her mother died.

She felt her heartache as she heard Daphne's painful cries. She immediately got up and grabbed her purse.

"Daph I'm coming to you right now ok, just take deep breaths," Mira said getting ready to leave.

"Ok," Daphne replied weakly in a hoarse voice.

On her way out she met her mother who had a panicked expression on their face. She rushed towards her Mum as she looked like she would faint any second and guided her inside.

"What's wrong, why do you look like someone died," Mira asked getting scared, she looked around with a confused expression.

"And where's dad," she asked getting scared with a million bad thoughts running through her mind.

"Did something happen to him," Mira asked again and still got no response.

"Mum, you're scaring me, where's dad," Mira asked shaking and the mute woman finally spoke.

"Your dad is fine," her mum said. "oh thank God," Mira said and released a breath she didn't know she held in.

" It's Quinn," her mum said. "The flight he took to Walt Island disappeared, your brother is missing," she cried.

Mira's face went pale. "What do you mean missing, where's dad, Have you called the police what would they even do, Dad knows some government officials right, has he contacted them," she asked all at once.

"He has contacted them, he's with them right now. My son is gone what am I going to do," she wailed while Mira hugged her also sobbing.

She then took her mum into her room and sat with her until she fell asleep. She later received a call from her dad.

"Hey Dad any news," Mira asked hopefully.

"No," he said." But I need you to come pick me up I just realized I sent your mum home with the car we brought here"

"Ok, I'm on my way," she responded walking into her room and grabbing her keys. The place was quite far from home and she got there an hour later. On her way back she and her dad discussed the details of the case.

They experienced a bit of traffic because of an accident, and when they finally got home an hour and half had already passed. As Mira settled to rest for a bit, she suddenly jolted up from her bed.

"Daphne," she shrieked. "I forgot," she said and called her phone repeatedly but got no response, she immediately dashed out of her house and drove to Daphne's house breaking all speed limits. She got to her apartment door and typed in the passcode, she missed it a few times as her hands were trembling, she was so scared because Daphne completely lost control when she was hurt or angry.

The door finally opened and Mira frantically ran around the apartment yelling Daphne's name but was met with silence, she started panicking even more and started dialing Daphne's number but met with no answer, she called 10 more times but received no response, she started texting her but still nothing.

Then Daphne called her back, she immediately answered the call but before she could get a word in a deep voice echoed through the phone.

............................

A few hours ago

In an apartment at the Sky Arc building complex. Daphne was still a sobbing mess, and she could feel anger surging through her body. She suddenly stood up and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I sacrificed my entire life for them, how dare they treat me like this? ETHAN," she screamed.

"I hate you, you took my life from me and gave it to Imogen, I moulded myself into the idea of your dream woman, I never complained when you stood me up, yet you still left me, where did I go wrong," Daphne yelled then fell to her knees as her body shook uncontrollably.

"Even my father feels nothing for me, that selfish old man how dare you use me after everything I did to make you love me like you loved Imogen but I was never enough"

Daphne stared at her hand which had started to shake and she felt a strong urge to go back home and strangle Imogen but was distracted from her thoughts as she heard the doorbell ring.

She immediately ran to open the door thinking it was her best friend but soon realized her friend would have unlocked it because she knew the passcode.

"Who is it," she asked immediately wiping the tears off her face and checked the front door camera and was immediately irritated.

"Imogen," the other party responded. Daphne planned to attack her as soon as she opened the door but stopped before her hand could touch the door knob as she stared at herself in the mirror.

When she moved into this apartment she bought a mirror and placed it at the door so any time she was leaving to go on a date with Ethan she would look perfect because Ethan always criticized her appearance. And now the same mirror is mocking her for
the useless sacrifices she made for Ethan. She continued staring at her reflection until there was another bang at the door.

She snapped out of her daze and ran to her room wiping the snot and smudged mascara off her face. She stared at the mirror by the door for four seconds and then finally opened the door.

Her face was blank with no emotion and the only thing that would give away that she was crying would be her slightly puffy eyes.

"You look pale, are you alright?" Imogen asked feigning concern but mocking Daphne's present condition.

Daphne immediately shut the door but it was stopped by Imogen's foot.

She screamed in pain as she grabbed her injured foot staring angrily at Daphne. But she couldn't care less as she proceeded to slam her door.

She sat on her couch trying to calm down but was still shaking, so she went into the bathroom for a nice long bath and when she got out, she realized Mira hadn't shown up

She decided to go for a run to cool off while waiting for her and was relieved to see that Imogen had already left. She took the elevator to the ground floor and was headed for the exit when she spotted Ethan and Imogen talking to Matt Cy and eventually getting into his car to continue their discussion, Matt was Mira's half brother and everyone in Steel City knew that Quinn and Matt were enemies.

She became suspicious and decided to call a cab. She got in, and when Matt's car started moving she asked the cab driver to follow the car. She didn't use her car because Ethan would surely recognize the car. Ethan complimented her car more than he complimented her during the relationship so he would know it was her car at first glance.