She's so good at walking out
because her dad did
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THE HOUSE WAS A MESS when Diana stepped in. Cracked plates lay on the floor and the place reeked of cigarettes more than usual.

Her father stumbled down the stairs, buttoning his shirt and running a hand through his greying hair. Diana stared at him, waiting for him to notice her. She didn't even have to ask to know what happened.

It was always the same. Her father would come home, and her mother would bitch and yell about Marie. Her father would then grab her, whisper pretty excuses, and they would fuck upstairs until her mother convinced herself he loved her again. But when he got up to leave, she would fall apart all over again, resorting to screaming threats and throwing plates.

"Oh Diana," her father said distractedly. "Hi honey, how are you?"

She knew he didn't care.

He grabbed his jacket and shook his head tiredly. "Your mother is worse than usual today," he muttered. She watched him reach into his pocket and take out his wallet. "Here, take this. Go buy yourself a new purse or something," he said without giving her a second glance.

Diana looked at the $500 he handed her. All she could think about was ripping it in half.

She had barely let herself calm down before he was out the door, already gone for another month or so.

Diana felt her body tremble with unknown emotions. She didn't usually let her feelings get the best of her, but after 17 years, it had gotten hard to suppress them. Her breath caught in her throat, choking her till tears pricked at her eyes.

She heard her mother wail upstairs, a sound so pitiful and grotesque Diana covered her ears only to find herself trapped with the voices in her mind that screeched at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled at her hair to try to silence them, but soon her hands started to dig into her scalp, only making the screeching louder.

The pain watered a dark seedling that had long ago been planted in her mind. For years, it had spread, scouring her veins and digging itself into her soul.

Now, as she sank to the floor and the broken shards of glass dug into her skin, Diana realized she would do anything to silence the monsters in her head.