The Moon Princess (Part 1)

Her phone was ringing nonstop today. She turned on airplane mode on it and threw it onto the couch. It bounced off the mattress and hit the floor, but she did not care one bit.

Instead, she reached out for the bottle and filled her glass to the brim. Again. The expensive bottle of whisky she bought for him as his birthday gift was now standing there open and almost empty. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, but she was already drunk. Much more drunk than she was the last time in the nightclub.

She put her head down on the table and allowed herself to close her eyes for a bit. She sighed, her shoulders feeling heavy.

The black long dress she was dressed in was wrinkled and smelled of the alcohol she spilled on herself. Her makeup was now completely melted away by the tears. Her hair was frizzy, disrupted by how many times she tried to smooth it down with her sticky hands.

She could hear the sound of her digital lock. The small machine just beeped, announcing someone has come to her apartment. The door opened. She could hear firm steps crossing her entryway, making their way directly to the living room.

She groaned. She knew exactly who came for her.

It was her father. He was dressed in a luxury black suit and wearing dark leather shoes with pointed toes. His gray hair was split on the side and neatly combed. His beard was trimmed. He was in his top condition, no matter the occasion.

“Selena!” he shouted at her instead of a greeting. “Where have you been? The funeral has already ended!”

“Here, as you can see,” she replied, laughing.

He scanned the living room with his bright eyes like a hawk and instantly recognized the bottle standing on the table.

“Are you drunk?”

“Yes, father. I am drunk. Completely and shamelessly.”

He came closer to her and took the bottle. Then he proceeded to pour the rest of its contents into the sink. He put the bottle down on the kitchen counter and turned back to her. She did not protest. She was just too weak and too tired. And it would be futile, anyway. He always had to have the last word.

“How the hell did you think it was appropriate to not come to this funeral? It was a son of my best business partner. And it was your childhood friend! Don’t you think it's impolite not to show up?”

She looked at him, tears welling in her eyes again.

“Did Leonard or Mira come?”

“They did not appear either. Weren’t you with them partying last time? I thought you were still best buddies. Just what happened between you during these few days?”

“I… I don’t know!” she cried out. “They both just left during that night! They are not reading my messages, they are not responding to my calls! They are just ignoring me!”

“I see. Had those two always had a thing for each other? I never realized. Mira always struck me as a bit of a crazy woman. I heard young men like that nowadays. So, a modern eloping case, that’s that. ”

“That’s not true!” Selena yelled at his father. “Leonard would never miss a day in his job. He has a lot of bills to pay. I told him many times that I could help him with payments, but he refused every time. He cannot afford not to work! Even the police say they both just disappeared. It is strange!”

“Okay, so they decided to ditch you two. Or maybe… do you think they were the ones responsible for Kasian's death? That’s why they both disappeared?”

“How can you say something like that? They were my friends.”

“The police did say that Kasian's death was quite an unfortunate one. The kidnappers took him, but instead of taping his mouth shut, they probably panicked and also taped his nose. He was unable to breathe. A failed kidnapping case. It looked like a work of amateurs. I could see Mira and Leonard–”

“Stop! Oh, god, just STOP talking! You are talking about my friends! One of them is dead now, and two have disappeared! How can you tell me all those things as if it were some crime cases on the evening television news? Don’t you feel anything for them?”

“I do,” he said. “But not what you think. And I think you do feel much more. Unnecessary more. I understand that you are mourning now, but you should have fulfilled your duty. Three out of four friends are gone now. And the one remaining is refusing to go out. How does that look?”

“As if I am saddened that they are gone?”

“Tell that to the police tomorrow. Our family lawyer contacted me, saying that they would like to speak with you tomorrow.”

“What? With me? But why?”

“You are the only one who was communicating with them before. And you are the only one whose whereabouts are still known. You are the only clue. So, tell me now what exactly you know? We have to be ready for tomorrow.”

“I told you I know nothing,” she said, tears falling down her cheeks. “I feel like I was the only one being kept in the dark.”

“Fine then. Get some sleep and be prepared for tomorrow. Our lawyer will come for you to pick you up and drive you to the police station. Hopefully, you will be able to make yourself look at least a bit presentable.”

He left her alone in her apartment. He was always like this, constantly worrying about their appearance and renomé. She’d had enough of that. Lost in her grief, she walked up to the kitchen counter.

The bottle of whisky was now empty. She clutched it in her hands, shaking.

It was an expensive bottle, but she bought it as a gift for Kasian's birthday.

After that night in the club, they started dating. She was so happy, she felt like she could fly. She still did not tell her parents about their relationship, but they were planning to make it official. Kasian told her, his father was constantly reminding him he needed to find a proper girlfriend, ideally someone from their circle. She was the only one for him, that’s what he told her. It looked like the start of a business rather than a romantic relationship, but she was happy nevertheless.

His birthday was coming soon, and she knew the perfect gift for him. She decided to surprise him at the office. So she took the bottle and went to visit him. She did not want him to know she was coming, so she said she was visiting his father, who was the CEO of the company. Once she was able to get inside, she went directly to his office and… found it empty.

Confused, she wandered around just to see that he was leaving a meeting room with a female colleague. They were both flushed, and her hair was disheveled, her lipstick smudged. She quickly ran to the toilet to correct her makeup and hairstyle. Kasian was returning to his office, his suit undone.

Selena was naïve, but even she could understand what was just happening in that locked room. She ran back to his office, going to pretend she never saw him there, but once she could feel his cologne lingering in the office, she felt sick. She threw up into his bin right under the desk. That’s how he found her.

“Selena, what are you doing here?”

“I… I just,” she stuttered, embarrassed. “I wanted to visit you, but I suddenly felt sick. I just threw up. I am so… sorry,” she said. “I… I can clean that later.”

Tears were welling in her eyes. Suddenly, she did know what to do. Mira would definitely slap the hell out of him for that, but she wasn’t such a woman. She was just too weak and soft, as her father told her multiple times during the previous years. And even if she did that, what was the point? She loved him. She wanted him to be hers.

Kasian stepped closer to her, concern mirroring in his eyes. For sure, he will comfort her now, and everything will be alright. It was just a misunderstanding. Maybe she just saw it wrong and jumped to conclusions.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked her.

Her heart dropped. He was not concerned about her at all.

“I am not, I am just not feeling well,” she said, forcing a smile. “Oh, right. Did you hear something about Leo or Mira? They have not been responding to my calls for a week now.”

“Not at all. They are both ignoring me,” he shrugged. “Are you okay now?”

“Yes,” she lied.

The expensive bottle of whisky stayed in her big purse. She took it with her when she left, forgetting about his birthday, not caring anymore.

The next day, Kasian was kidnapped. The perpetrators did not have time to ask for a ransom. They accidentally killed their own bargaining chip.

Her knees wobbled once she remembered all those things. She was trying to drown them in the whisky, but alcohol was not helping her at all. The heavy bottle slipped out of her grasp and fell to the floor. The glass shattered.

She fell on her knees, crying.

Her gaze stopped at a shard of glass lying near her. She reached out for it and clenched it in her fingers…