Lily finished her bath, put on her clothes, and dried her hair, then returned quickly to her room and locked the door with the key.
As soon as she was alone, she picked up her phone, opened Adam’s number once again, and called him.
The automated reply came: “The number you are calling is switched off or unavailable.” That sentence caused a sudden tension for Lily, until the phone almost fell from her hand, but she tightened her grip on it.
She muttered anxiously: “What?
Why is your phone off?
Several hours have passed, Adam.” She called again.
“The number you are calling is switched off or unavailable.” Lily stared at the phone screen for a few seconds, then said to herself: “Why does Adam turn off his phone all this time?” She continued to call him repeatedly, but the result remained the same.
“The number you are calling is switched off or unavailable.” With every failed attempt, anxiety crept further into her heart.
In the meantime, Lily’s father returned from work.
Mr.
Antoine was a famous architect in France, and he was accustomed to paying great attention to his appearance.
He entered the house wearing an elegant navy blue suit, his hair neatly combed back.
His build was strong, showing some light muscles, and he was always keen to appear tidy and imposing, even in the finest details of his actions.
As soon as he entered the house, Madame Margaret rushed toward him, with a smile on her face that seemed more artificial than welcoming.
“How are you, Antoine?” Mr.
Antoine did not answer her.
He satisfied himself with giving her a passing glance, then headed straight to the bathroom to wash his hands.
After that, he went to his room, changed his clothes, then headed to the dining room and sat in his usual place.
Only moments passed before the door of the room adjacent to Lily’s room opened, and Nicholas came out.
Nicholas headed to the table, pulled out the chair opposite his father, and sat on it.
“Hello, Father, how are you?” Mr.
Antoine raised his eyes to him, then said in a calm voice: “Why didn’t you go to work today, Nicholas?” Nicholas had followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the Faculty of Science and Engineering and becoming an architect like him.
He answered calmly: “Today was a day off from work, Father.” Mr.
Antoine’s voice rose slightly: “A day off?…
What are you saying?
You must pay attention to developing yourself and your abilities.
And you must review the manuscripts and drawings several times before submitting them finally.” Nicholas intertwined his hands under the table and said: “I reviewed them several times, Father.” Mr.
Antoine looked at him with a sharp glance, then called his wife in a relatively raised voice: “Margaret!
Where is the dinner?” Her voice came from the kitchen: “Alright, Antoine, just give me a few moments.” Madame Margaret was moving between the kitchen and the dining room with measured steps, carrying plates of food quietly, while the smell of rice and French chicken spread throughout the house.
She placed the dishes on the table carefully, and arranged the plates and eating utensils as she was always accustomed to, trying to make everything perfect before dinner began.
The table was finally ready.
Mr.
Antoine sat in his usual place with his rigid features and sharp gaze, and beside him his son Nicholas.
He did not speak much, and his presence alone was enough to make the atmosphere quieter…
and more tense.
Mr.
Antoine raised his eyes toward the empty seat in front of him, and noticed Lily’s absence.
He said in a cold and firm voice: “Where is Lily?” Madame Margaret paused for a moment as she set the last dish on the table, then answered calmly: “I will call her.” Mr.
Antoine did not reply, and satisfied himself with looking at his watch for a few moments before returning his gaze to the food in front of him.
He did not like waiting, and his features made clear his annoyance at his daughter’s delay.
Nicholas sat in silence, watching his father, then said, trying to ease the intensity of the atmosphere: “Maybe she didn’t notice the time.” Mr.
Antoine looked at him with a steady glance and said: “In this house, everyone knows their schedule.” Nicholas added nothing, and returned to looking at his plate.
He knew his father’s personality well; a man of few words, strictly controlling, and who did not like things to go in a way that differed from what he had specified.
Madame Margaret left the dining room and headed toward Lily’s room.
At that moment, Lily was still holding her phone, staring at the screen while thinking of Adam.
Madame Margaret knocked on the door.
“Lily?” Lily raised her head toward the door.
“Yes?” Her mother said: “Dinner is ready.
Your father and Nicholas are at the table.” Lily looked at the door, then returned her eyes to the phone.
She did not want to go out.
She wanted to stay in her room and continue trying to call Adam, perhaps he would turn on his phone at any moment and answer her.
But she knew her father well, and knew the consequences of ignoring his call to dinner.
She took a deep breath and said: “Alright.” Madame Margaret stepped away from the door and returned to the dining room.
She reached the table, and Mr.
Antoine said without looking at her: “Where is she?” She answered him: “Lily will come right away.” He looked at her for a moment, then said a single word: “Good.” A single word from him was enough to end the conversation.
Madame Margaret sat quietly, while Nicholas remained silent, waiting for Lily’s arrival so they could start dinner.
As for Lily’s room, she was still looking at her phone.
She opened the call screen again, and hesitated for moments before pressing Adam’s name.
But she stopped.
She looked at the door.
Then at the phone.
She had to go out now.
She put the phone in her clothes pocket, and stood up slowly in front of the mirror.
She did not know why her heart was telling her that something was not right.
Even so, she had no choice but to open the door and head to the dining room.
And on that night, as on every night, the family gathered around one table.
But behind the apparent quietness, something else was forming…
Lily’s growing anxiety over Adam, Nicholas’s silence, Margaret’s tension, and Mr.
Antoine’s stern presence that imposed itself on everyone.
And as Lily approached the dining room, she did not know that this quiet dinner might be the beginning of many things changing inside this house.