Where to begin

Where to begin
VIOLET’S POINT OF VIEW

The moment the question left his father’s lips, everything around us seemed to still, not completely, not in a way that froze time, but enough that the tension thickened, enough that the air itself felt heavier, like everyone close enough to hear knew something serious had just stepped into the room.....Dylan didn’t answer.

For the first time since I had known him, he looked completely lost for words, his mouth parting slightly like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find anything that would make sense of what had already been exposed, and before that silence could stretch any further, another voice joined in.

“Violet, baby… what’s going on?”His mother said....Her tone was softer, confused, laced with concern as she stepped forward, her eyes moving between me and Dylan, trying to piece together something that didn’t look right.

“I thought you two were dating,” she continued, her brows knitting slightly as she looked back at him.

“Dylan… did you do something?”Before I could respond, before he could even try, voices rose from beside me.

“Yes, Mom,” One of the twins said, her tone firm, protective in a way that made my chest tighten slightly.

“He did,” The other added quickly, her expression already hardened as she stepped a little closer to me.

“He did something really awful.”That was all it took.The attention shifted completely now, not just curious glances but full focus, parents stepping closer, confusion deepening, the weight of the situation settling in a way that couldn’t be brushed off anymore.

Dylan’s siblings stepped forward , their voice carrying clearly enough for those closest to hear.

“Yes, Mom… yes, Dad,” they said, glancing briefly at Dylan before looking back at the adults,

“he did something to Violet… and I think you should know.”There was hesitation for only a second before a phone was brought forward, the video pulled up, and despite everything in me wanting to look away, I couldn’t.It played again.That same moment that had already broken something inside me once.

This time, it wasn’t just me hearing it.
It was all of them.The silence that followed felt different now, heavier, more serious, not just shock but disappointment settling in slowly, visibly, and I watched as Dylan’s father’s expression changed, not loudly, not dramatically, but enough to make it clear that he understood exactly what he had just seen.He let out a slow breath, his jaw tightening slightly before he finally spoke.

“We are at a wedding,” he said calmly, his voice steady in a way that carried authority without needing to rise,

“and I’m not going to create a scene here.”
His gaze shifted briefly around, taking in the space, the guests, the atmosphere that had already started to shift uncomfortably.

“We will continue with the wedding,” he added, more firmly now, “because this is not the place for this.”Then his eyes returned to Dylan.

“But we are going to address this,” he said, each word deliberate, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

“I will get to the root of this matter, and we will deal with it properly.”Only then did his attention shift to me and something in his expression softened.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice quieter now, more personal, more sincere than anything else that had been said so far.

“I truly am.”Dylan’s mother stepped closer immediately after, her hand coming up gently to cup my cheek in a way that caught me off guard, her eyes filled with something that looked like genuine regret.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she murmured softly.

“I didn’t raise him like that… I’m so sorry, Violet.”I didn’t know what to say to that So I said nothing because nothing felt like enough.

Gradually, slowly, the moment dissolved, not completely, not like it hadn’t happened, but in the way people do when they choose to move forward despite discomfort, conversations starting again in low tones, music resuming, glasses clinking softly as the reception tried to find its rhythm again.
But for me, nothing had really shifted.

I stood there for a moment longer before finally moving away, needing space again, needing something that didn’t feel this heavy.That was when his siblings approached me their expressions were different now, not defensive, not dismissive, but genuinely apologetic, which made it harder to stay angry at them.

“We’re really sorry about what happened,” one of them said carefully, their voice sincere.

“We didn’t think it would go this far… we’re honestly disappointed in him.”I let out a small breath, shaking my head slightly.

“You don’t have to apologize for him,” I said quietly, my voice steadier now even though my chest still felt tight.

“I just want him to stay away from me.”There was a pause before they nodded.

“We’ll tell him,” they promised.

“Thank you,” I replied softly.A few minutes later, my friends found me again, their presence immediately shifting something inside me, even if only a little.

"You okay??"

"Yeah"

"Dylan's parents just apologized to me"I added and they all sighed.

“I swear I didn’t think he would do something like that,” Mira said, her tone a mix of disbelief and frustration.

“Same,” Amanda added, shaking her head slightly.Chloe exhaled softly before nudging my arm gently.

“Well I had kind of suspected that he was up to something at first giving the fact that he was my ex but I swear he looked really genuine with Violet.......You know what......… come on,” she said, her voice softer now, trying to lighten the moment just a little,

“you’ve been frowning all day, and at this rate you’re going to start getting wrinkles before your time.”That earned the smallest reaction from me, a faint, reluctant curve of my lips that didn’t quite become a smile but wasn’t nothing either.

“Just for today,” Thessa added gently,

“try to go with the flow, okay?”I nodded slowly.

“Okay.”And for their sake, I tried....I stayed.
I moved when they moved,I responded when spoken to,I even managed to smile once or twice when the MC began engaging the crowd, pulling laughter out of guests, organizing little moments that were meant to keep the energy alive, but even through all of that, there was still a distance inside me, like I was present physically but not fully there.

Eventually, the reception came to an end, the night settling into something calmer as guests began to leave, conversations softening into goodbyes, and before long, we were on our way again.This time, to my mom’s new home.

The house was larger, more polished, carrying that quiet kind of luxury that didn’t need to announce itself, and as we stepped inside, there was still a sense of occasion lingering in the air, but it didn’t take long for that to shift because the moment Zayn stepped in.....Everything changed again.

His father turned toward him almost immediately, his expression no longer calm, no longer controlled in the same way it had been earlier.
“What was that video I just watched?” he asked, his voice firm, cutting through the room without needing to rise.

“Why would you do something like that?”
Zayn's opened his mouth, his shoulders tense, clearly trying to find the right words.

“Dad, I.........”
“Why would you and your friends make a bet like that?” his father continued, not giving him room to finish, his frustration now clear.

“Do you even understand what you’ve done?”

“I’m sorry,” Zayn said quickly, his voice strained,

“I didn’t mean for it to.....”The sound of the slap cut through everything.Sharp and Sudden.

Enough to make everyone freeze.
Dylan’s head turned slightly with the impact, and for a second, nobody moved, nobody spoke, the shock settling over the room like a heavy weight.

“Michael,” my mom said quickly, stepping forward, her hand reaching out instinctively.

“Please… you don’t have to just listen to him first........”

“No,” he replied firmly, his voice still controlled but edged with anger now, holding up a hand slightly to stop her.

“I’m talking to my son.”Then his gaze returned to Dylan, sharper now.

“Do you understand what you’ve done?” he continued, his tone heavier, more personal.

“This is the daughter of the woman I just married, and you treated her like a game.”The words landed hard.

“This is no different from letting someone take advantage of your own sister,” he added, his voice tightening slightly with the weight of it and Silence followed.
Thick and Uncomfortable.

“Michael…” my mom tried again softly, her voice calmer now.

“Today is our wedding day… please, just let it go for tonight.”But before anything else could be said......Zayn turned and walked out
And the silence he left behind somehow felt even louder than everything that had come before.

DYLAN’S POINT OF VIEW

By the time I got home, the night had already settled into something too quiet, the kind of silence that didn’t feel peaceful but heavy, like it was waiting, like it already knew what kind of conversation was about to unfold before I even stepped fully inside.

The living room lights were still on, casting a soft glow across the space, but there was nothing soft about the atmosphere, not with the way my father stood there in the middle of the room, still in his suit yet stripped of every bit of calm he had worn earlier, my mother seated with her hands clasped together like she had been thinking too much, and my siblings positioned around them in a way that made it clear this wasn’t just a casual talk, it was something they had all been waiting for.

The moment my footsteps carried me in, my father’s gaze lifted and settled on me, sharp and unyielding, the kind that didn’t just look at you but went straight through you.

“Sit.”It was a simple word, but the authority behind it made it feel like an order that couldn’t be ignored, even if I didn’t actually move closer, even if I just remained standing there with my shoulders slightly tense and my jaw already tight.

“I want you to explain something to me,” he said, his voice controlled in a way that felt deliberate, like he was holding himself back from saying more than he should too soon.

“What was that video?”For a brief moment, I said nothing, not because I didn’t understand the question, but because I knew there wasn’t a version of the answer that would make this better, no way to shape it into something that wouldn’t sound as bad as it actually was.

“It was just a game,” I said finally, my voice lower than usual, already aware that it sounded wrong, already regretting it even as the words settled into the air between us.

“A game?” he repeated slowly, like he needed to hear it again just to be sure I had actually said it.The shift in his expression was immediate, the control he had been holding onto beginning to crack as disbelief gave way to something sharper, something far less forgiving.

“A game?” he said again, louder this time as he took a step closer, his presence suddenly more imposing, more overwhelming.

“Do you have any idea what you’re saying right now, Dylan?”

“Dad, if you would just listen.......”

“No,” he cut in quickly, his hand lifting in a firm motion that stopped me completely before I could even try to continue.

“I have told you repeatedly,” he went on, his voice rising now, frustration bleeding through every word,

“that you do not do anything that can tarnish my image.”My jaw clenched harder at that, not because I didn’t understand his point, but because of the way he said it, like that was the only thing that mattered.

“I am the governor,” he added, his voice carrying weight,

“do you understand what that means? Do you understand how quickly something like this can spiral into something bigger than you can control?”

“It wasn’t meant to get out,” I said, my voice tighter now, frustration creeping in despite everything.

“That is not the point,” he snapped almost immediately, cutting me off again before I could build anything that even resembled an explanation.

“The point is that you did it at all,” he continued, his tone sharper now, less controlled,

“that you thought it was acceptable to turn something like that into a bet.”He shook his head slowly, like he couldn’t reconcile what he had seen with what he thought he knew about me.

“I thought you liked her,” he said, his voice dropping slightly, but not softening,

“I thought you were serious about her, and for once, I allowed it, I stepped back, I didn’t interfere, because I believed you were finally making better choices..
but heavy enough to settle deep in my chest.

“I am serious about her,” I said, stepping forward slightly without even realizing it, my voice rougher now, more urgent,

“that’s what you’re not understanding, it didn’t stay a bet, it stopped being that.......”

“I said I don’t want to hear it,” he interrupted again, this time louder, his voice echoing through the room in a way that left no space for anything else.The silence that followed felt suffocating, like it pressed in from all sides at once.

“You don’t get to explain this away,” he added, quieter now but more final,

“you don’t get to make this sound like something it isn’t.”I dragged a hand through my hair slowly, exhaling sharply as frustration built in my chest, thick and difficult to swallow.

“You never listen,” I muttered under my breath, the words slipping out before I could stop them.......His eyes narrowed instantly.

“And you don’t deserve to be heard right now,” he replied without hesitation, his tone cutting through whatever little control I had left.For a moment, neither of us spoke, the tension stretching thin but unbroken.

“After your exams,” he continued, his voice shifting again, calmer but colder now,

“you’re going to England.”Everything in me stilled.

“What?”

“You heard me,” he said, turning slightly as though the decision had already been made long before this conversation even started.

“You will continue your education there, and perhaps distance will teach you the discipline you clearly lack here.”I let out a slow breath, shaking my head slightly, disbelief mixing with frustration.

“So you’re just going to decide that without even hearing me out?” I asked, my voice low but steady.

“I already told you,” he replied flatly,

“I don’t want to hear it.” and just like that, the conversation ended for him.
He exhaled sharply, a sound filled with irritation and disappointment, before turning and walking out of the room, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than anything he had said.

For a few seconds, no one moved,No one spoke.Then my mom stood.....She approached me slowly, her steps careful, her expression softer but no less serious, her eyes searching mine like she was trying to find the truth beneath everything that had just been said.

“Dylan,” she called gently and I looked at her.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice quiet but steady.

“I thought you liked her… no, more than that, I thought you loved her.”The word lingered.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry as I tried to steady myself enough to respond.

“I made a mistake,” I admitted, my voice low, the weight of it sitting heavily on my chest.

“I won’t deny that, the bet was real, it started like that,” I continued, forcing myself to be honest even when it made me look worse,

“but it didn’t stay that way.”She didn’t interrupt, she just listened.

“I fell in love with her,” I said finally, my voice softer now, more vulnerable than I had been all night,

“not gradually, not halfway, I fell completely, and I didn’t even realize how much until it was too late.”Her expression softened, but there was still sadness in her eyes.

“You broke her,” she said gently.

“I know,” I whispered, the words barely audible,

“I saw it in her eyes, I saw exactly when it happened.”

“And I swear,” I added, my voice tightening slightly,

“if I could take it all back, if I could go back to the moment before any of this started, I would.”She studied me for a moment longer before sighing softly.

“I believe you,” she said.That alone almost unraveled something in me.

“But believing you doesn’t undo what you did,” she added just as gently.

“I know,” I repeated, quieter this time.The silence that followed felt different, not as sharp, but still heavy in its own way.

“I’m going to London ” I said after a moment, needing space, needing distance from everything pressing in around me.
She nodded slowly.

“I understand.”I hesitated, then stepped closer, my voice dropping, something more desperate slipping through despite myself.

“But I can’t leave like this,” I added, my chest tightening again,

“I can’t leave knowing she hates me.”My mom’s gaze softened further.

“Mom, please,” I said, my voice breaking just slightly as I looked at her,

“I’m begging you, talk to her for me.”

“She won’t listen to me,” I continued, shaking my head,

“she won’t even look at me, I don’t know how to fix this if she won’t hear me out.”
My hands clenched at my sides.

“But you… she respects you, maybe she’ll listen to you.”There was a pause.......Then she sighed softly.

“…okay,” she said,

“I’ll try.”It didn’t fix anything but it was something.

“You look exhausted,” she added, reaching up to touch my cheek lightly,

“go freshen up and get some rest.”I nodded faintly, but before I could turn away......

“Dylan.”I looked back to see that it was the twin that stopped me.The disappointment in their expressions was impossible to miss.

“I’m not even going to pretend,” one of them said, shaking their head slightly,

“I’m really disappointed in you.”she said and crossed their arms.

“We thought you actually loved her,” they added, their tone quieter but no less serious.

“Do you know people are talking?” another said,

“everyone is laughing at her "

“That girl didn’t deserve that,” one of them added, more softly this time,

“she actually cared about you.”Every word landed.....every single one.

“I know,” I said finally, my voice low, the weight of everything pressing down harder than before.

“I know.”But knowing didn’t change anything.It didn’t take back what I had done.
It didn’t erase the look on her face and standing there, surrounded by disappointment, with the one person I wanted to face the most refusing to even look at me…I realized something that settled deep in my chest, heavier than anything else that night.I had never wanted to fix something this badly in my life and I had no idea where to even begin.