𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒 ━ p. quill

ii. a lot of regrets

CHAPTER TWO
❝ A LOT OF REGRETS. ❞

When I said I would regret my decisions the next day, I had meant it. But I didn't know I would regret them to such a great extent.

I woke up to the sound of a vacuum cleaner sucking at the carpet in my bedroom. My eyes flickered open but I shut them immediately as I felt the sunlight burn at them.

"Oh come on, Sophie." I groaned, attempting to adjust to the light seeping through the curtains. "I'm trying to sleep."

Sophie stopped the vacuum cleaner with a tap of her foot and lifted her head to speak. "Mrs Amador insisted on me cleaning your room."

"Well, tell Mrs Amador to..." I paused considering my word choice as Sophie shot me a glare, her left eyebrow arched. "... to bug off."

"Actually, she wants you downstairs now. She's got something to tell you." Sophie responded as she swiftly turned her head and returned to ruining my life with the draining sound of the vacuum cleaner.

I groaned and propped myself up with my elbows resting on the pillow but was met by a cold tide of pain which washed over my head. It felt like a balloon was under my cranium, inflating and deflating, changing the pressure, at its own will. Oh, how the scent of vodka last night was so intoxicating, yet this morning it only made me nauseous.

I glanced over to the bottle of water sitting on my bedside table and dragged it towards me. My actions were slow as I unscrewed the bottle lid and placed the tip of the bottle against my dry lips. The water steadily slipped down my throat, easing the aridity with its soothing properties. My thirst had been quenched. Now all I had to do was get over the overwhelming racking of my skull and the potential of it cracking open, and make myself look somewhat presentable.

***

When I reached the bottom of the staircase, I was met with the most absurd, horrified look. To be fair, if I had been in her position, I would've understood that her reaction was perfectly understandable. When I last checked the mirror, I was no longer the glamour girl of last night. I was a mess: my hair was barely pulled back into a ponytail, my face looked like the end result of an artist's paint mixing palette and my posture seemed to reflect that of the curved bannisters I gripped onto for dear life.

My mother's jaw dropped as she fixed her eyes on me, watching my every step as I approached closer to her. She was a direct contrast to the mess known as me: her hair had been gently curled and sat comfortably on her shoulders, she wasn't wearing much makeup apart from a hint of blush which replenished her face and she stood tall, her hands propped in front of her. You wouldn't have been able to tell that I was her daughter.

"Oh my." she spoke, a certain intonation of disappointment in her voice. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." I replied briefly. "Just a mild hangover."

She shook her head in denial, her hands clasped together in dismay. After several seconds, she broke the silence and looked back up at me. "Did you forget what was happening yesterday?"

I jilted my head in confusion. "What was happening yesterday?"

"Your father came home yesterday."

There was a brief pause. A whirlwind of information and emotions were thrown at me and I didn't know how to respond. So I stood; I stood with no expression present on my face.

"How many times are you going to do this?" my mother asked, prompting me to look up from my disappointed state. "How many times are you going to act like we don't exist? How many times are you going to forget about your family, Aurelia?"

She spoke in an inconspicuous accent of reproach which caused a lump to form in my throat. I couldn't speak from the dreaded concoction of my hangover and the sense of guilt and shame. My eyes only drooped further as I anxiously twiddled my fingers.

My mother took a deep breath and looked to the ceiling, pushing away tears, before speaking again. "He really wanted to see you last night. He said he loves you."

She glanced at me for a few seconds before turning herself away from my presence and walking away. I stood, watching her drift off as each one of her footsteps brought a heavy, unspeakable pain to my heart.

━━━━━━ author's note:
i finally updated! i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though it was quite short.

please vote and leave some feedback if you can. love you 3000.