Submitting novel Chapter 36

Black for men and red for women.

A strange norm that has been followed universally, which distinctively showcased the supposed beauty of those two genders in settings that are anything but casual and loud. It defined the event more, and addressed the general agenda of how the night is going to progress.

I looked down at myself, wondering if I was wearing or had been made to wear anything like that, but to my relief I was still in my comfortable sweatshirt and sweatpants in grey. Hair still oily and dirty from the several days of unwashed heaviness, skin dry, lips cracked, pale.

Such a contrast to the rest of the people in the room as they gathered round the table in their neat and polished attire, which can be achieved only through practiced care. It made sense now as I understood why I was let to be alone in my room for such a long time whereas Dimitri almost always loomed like a shadow other times.

"I am so excited!" Ivan shrieked like a little girl but in a masculine sort of way as he pulled the chair out for Liza to help her in and then sat down himself with his eyes looking at me with anticipation. Did he expect me to praise him? For whatever he had done tonight?

There was no doubt that Ivan was the one who came up with all this dramatic travesty.

I was pushed further into the room until I was right in front of the table, thankfully not made to sit in the chair as any movement, even if forced and not initiated by me, hurt still. Not physically but like a dull ache inside my head that protested against my being. As did this sudden pop up of unnecessary interaction with these people.

“So am I.” Liza looked at him and smiled as she placed her hand on top of his while the other rested on her belly bump that was way too noticeable to be ignored even in the dim candlelight. Somehow the silk red dress with a sweetheart neckline, she wore, made it more prominent.

What was happening? Who was she? I doubted, for the millionth time, if it was Liza at all. Moreover, I was convinced that if I looked at her long enough, then perhaps her face would change as well as it already did slightly with the baby growing inside her. But what bothered me more was the behavioural changes rather the exterior. As if she had rebirthed or maybe had some sort of procedure done on her to shift her into this…person who was not Liza at all.

Choosing Ivan over me.

This was not Liza at all.

“Let’s eat, shall we?” Dimitri suggested as he removed the cloche on the table in front of me, revealing a perfectly cooked steak with garnish and fumes rising from it in heated puffs. The same meal was served for the rest three as they grabbed their forks and started digging in.