The Contracted Stripper

The once vibrant Kendrick mansion, always buzzing with activity, now stood still, suffocating in an air of despair. The echoes of laughter and lively conversations had faded, replaced by heavy silence.

Ivy had locked herself in her room for days, refusing to come out, refusing to speak. No one dared to disturb her any longer-not even Mrs. Rose, who had tried relentlessly to get through to her.

Inside her room, Ivy sat curled up in a corner, her eyes swollen from crying. Tear-streaked lines ran down her cheeks, her once-perfect appearance now unrecognizable.

She had refused to eat, to sleep, or to let anyone in. Her world had crumbled in the blink of an eye, and now she was drowning in her own guilt and shame.

Everything she had built-her career, her reputation, her self-worth-was gone. Another knock came at the door, this time softer than before.”Ivy,” Mrs. Rose’s voice filtered through the heavy wooden door, her tone gentle but firm.

“Please, sweetheart, you need to eat something. Just a few bites. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

There was no response. Ivy simply stared blankly at the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Her mother’s voice was distant, like a faint whisper in the back of her mind. She felt numb. Empty.

After several moments of silence, Mrs. Rose sighed heavily from the other side of the door. “Ivy, I know you’re hurting. But shutting yourself off from the world isn’t going to make it any better.

You have to face this… eventually.”Another pause, but again, no response.”I’ll leave some food outside your door,” Mrs. Rose said, trying to maintain her composure.

“Please, at least consider eating. I’ll come back later.”The sound of footsteps retreating echoed down the hallway, and soon, everything went silent again. Ivy’s eyes filled with fresh tears, but this time she didn’t cry out.

She didn’t scream. She just sat there, her chest tightening with guilt and regret. It was the weight of what she had done that kept her paralyzed.

Across the mansion, Mr. Kendrick sat in his study, a shadow of the man he once was. His face had grown gaunt, his eyes hollow and distant.

The weight of the recent revelations had taken a toll on him. He barely spoke anymore, and when he did, it was in short, broken sentences.

The fire that once burned in his eyes-the confidence, the determination-was long gone. He sat at his desk, staring at a family photo that had once brought him so much pride.

In the picture, he was standing tall, his arm around Mrs. Rose, with Ivy and Ryan on either side. They were all smiling, but that was before the secrets, the lies, the betrayals.

Now, that picture felt like a lie. The door to his study creaked open slightly, and Mrs. Rose stepped inside, her face drawn with worry.”Honey, you need to eat something,” she said softly, walking over to his desk. “You’ve barely touched your food in days. I’m worried about you.”Mr. Kendrick didn’t respond.

He kept staring at the photo, his fingers trembling slightly as he held it. His eyes flickered with the memory of better days, of times when his family seemed perfect, unbreakable. But now, he couldn’t even look his children in the eye without feeling like he had failed them all.

“They need you,” Mrs. Rose continued, her voice strained. “Ryan, Ivy… they’re both going through so much right now. You can’t just shut down like this. You have to be there for them.”

Finally, Mr. Kendrick looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed and full of sadness. “I’ve already lost them, Rose,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Everything I’ve built… everything I’ve worked for… it’s all gone. My children don’t even recognize me anymore.”

Mrs. Rose’s face softened as she knelt beside him, placing a hand on his knee. “We can fix this. We can rebuild. But you have to stay strong-for them, for us.”He shook his head slowly, his gaze drifting back to the photo.

“I don’t know if I have anything left to give.”Back upstairs, Ivy’s phone buzzed on her nightstand, snapping her out of her trance. She hadn’t touched it in days, too ashamed to face the world.

The thought of what was out there-the accusations, the judgment-was too much to bear. But the phone buzzed again, and then again. She hesitated before slowly crawling over to the nightstand and picking it up.

When she looked at the screen, her heart dropped. It was Ryan. She hadn’t spoken to him since that night-the night everything had fallen apart. He had been so angry, so disappointed in her. She could still hear his voice echoing in her head:

“You joined mum in maltreating that poor girl. You made sure you seized every opportunity to humiliate her.”Her hand shook as she stared at his name on the screen, debating whether to answer.

After a few long seconds, she took a deep breath and pressed the call button, holding the phone to her ear.”Ivy,” Ryan’s voice came through, calm but firm.

“We need to talk.”She swallowed hard, her throat dry. “Ryan, I… I’m sorry.”

“I know you are,” he said quietly. “But being sorry doesn’t change what’s happened.”Her chest tightened, tears welling up in her eyes again. “I didn’t mean for things to get this bad. I didn’t… I didn’t know it would come to this.”

“Ivy, you need to understand something,” Ryan said, his tone serious. “What you did… what we did… it has consequences. You can’t hide from this forever.”She sniffed, wiping away a tear that had fallen onto her cheek.

“I know. I just… I don’t know how to fix it.”Ryan sighed on the other end of the line. “It’s not about fixing it. It’s about owning up to it. You need to come out of that room and face what’s happening, Ivy.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

We can’t keep pretending that everything is fine. It’s not.”Her heart ached at his words, but she knew he was right. She couldn’t stay locked away forever, hiding from the mess she had created. But the thought of stepping outside, of facing the world, was terrifying.

“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered, her voice shaky.”You don’t have a choice,” Ryan replied gently. “Hiding isn’t going to make it go away. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.

But I need you to come out of that room and talk to me. Please.”Ivy took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to gather the strength she needed.

For the first time in days, she felt a flicker of hope-a small, fragile light in the darkness. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way out of this.

“I’ll… I’ll try,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Ryan was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “I’ll be waiting downstairs. Take your time, but please, come out.”

The line went dead, and Ivy slowly lowered the phone, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t know if she was ready to face Ryan, to face the world outside her room.

But she knew that she couldn’t stay locked up forever. She had to find a way to move forward, no matter how painful it was. Downstairs, Ryan sat on the edge of the couch, his foot tapping anxiously against the floor.

He had been trying to stay calm, but the past few days had been a whirlwind of emotions. His sister was falling apart, his parents were barely speaking, and the weight of everything that had happened was crushing him.

The door creaked open behind him, and he turned around to see Mrs. Rose standing there, her face drawn with worry.”Did you talk to her?” she asked, her voice soft.

Ryan nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I think she’s going to come out soon.”Mrs. Rose sighed, walking over to the couch and sitting down beside him. “I’m worried about her, Ryan. She’s been shutting everyone out, and I don’t know how to reach her.”

“She’s scared,” Ryan said quietly. “She’s scared of what’s out there-what people are saying about her. And honestly, I don’t blame her.”Mrs. Rose looked down at her hands, her expression pained. “I just want to make things right, for all of us.”Ryan’s jaw tightened as he looked away.

“I don’t think it’s that simple anymore, Mom.”Before Mrs. Rose could respond, they both heard the faint sound of footsteps coming from the staircase. They turned their heads to see Ivy slowly making her way down, her face pale and her eyes red from crying.”Ivy,” Mrs. Rose breathed, standing up and rushing to her daughter’s side.

Ivy winced as her mother wrapped her arms around her, but she didn’t pull away. She just stood there, letting herself be held as the weight of everything pressed down on her.”I’m so sorry,” Ivy whispered, her voice cracking.

“I don’t know what to do.”Mrs. Rose pulled back slightly, her hands resting on Ivy’s shoulders. “We’ll figure it out,” she said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from Ivy’s face. “We’ll figure it out together.