Preview
Miss Malware
That's what they used to call her. Kids her age would laugh whenever they saw the small laptop tucked against her chest, making names like she was some strange creature instead of a little girl.
Vivian never understood why she felt so different from everyone else. While other children played outside, she spent hours curled up beside the window with the tiny laptop her grandmother had gifted her on her eighth birthday. She explored random websites, learned simple coding languages, and built messy little web pages with bright colors and moving animations she was oddly proud of.
Then she would run to show them to her mother with sparkling green eyes. And every single time, her mother would smile warmly and tell her how brilliant she was. Vivian loved those moments but a part of her always wished someone else would say it too.
Her father.
Antonio Sinclair rarely visited them. And even sometimes weeks passed without a single call from him. But whenever he came home, Vivian would become the happiest little girl alive.
To her, he was brave , strong and powerful papa. And she desperately wanted him to be proud of her.
That evening, Vivian sat cross-legged on the floor with her laptop open, waiting impatiently for her father. She had just finished designing a tiny webpage filled with bright colors and moving stars. She couldn't wait to show her papa.
Then suddenly, she heard the front door being opened. And then a familiar deep voice echoed through the house. Vivian's eyes lit up instantly.
Papa.
Her papa was home. Excitement burst through her tiny body as she jumped off the couch and ran toward the stairs, gripping her laptop tightly. But the moment she reached downstairs....she froze.
"You bastard!" her mother screamed.
Vivian had never heard her mother sound like that before. Her mother stood in the middle of the room, tears streaming down her face while Antonio Sinclair stared back coldly.
"How could you do this to me?" her mother cried brokenly. "After everything? After everything I sacrificed for you?"
Antonio ran a hand through his hair impatiently."Lower your voice," he snapped. "You're acting dramatic."
"Dramatic?" her mother laughed bitterly. "You married another woman!"
Vivian's breath caught.
"I had my reasons," Antonio argued coldly. "This marriage benefits my family." Antonio's jaw tightened. "You knew what kind of life I lived before fucking me."
"And you promised me things would change!" she screamed back. "You promised Vivian would grow up with a real father!"
At the mention of her name, Vivian gripped her laptop harder. "She waits for you every day! She worships you, Antonio!" Her mother continued, voice breaking painfully.
Antonio looked away briefly before speaking again. "I provide for both of you. Isn't that enough?"
"No," her mother whispered and then louder "No, it's not enough!" Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face now.
"She loves you so much," she cried. "At least think about what this will do to her!"
Antonio's patience finally snapped. "I'm tired of this conversation."
And that only made her mother angrier. With shaking hands, she grabbed the flower vase from the table nearby and threw it toward him. Glass exploded against the wall with a loud crash.
"Get out!" she screamed hysterically. "Get out and never show me your face again! I hate you! You fucking bastard!"
Vivian flinched violently. Fear wrapped around her tiny body as she slowly hid behind the staircase wall, covering her ears tightly. She didn't understand what was happening.
Just moments ago, she had been excited to show her father her webpage and now her mother was crying.Her father looked furious. And the house suddenly didn't feel safe anymore.
A few seconds later, the front door slammed shut. Slowly, Vivian lowered her trembling hands and walked to her mother .Her mother had collapsed onto the floor, crying so hard it made Vivian's chest ache.
"Mama..." Vivian whispered softly. Her mother looked up at her.
Her face was soaked with tears. And for the first time, Vivian thought her mother looked broken.
"I'm sorry, my dear Vivi," her mother whispered shakily before pulling her into her arms.Vivian quietly hugged her back. Then her mother held her face gently and spoke words that would stay with Vivian forever.
"Never trust men, Vivi." Her voice trembled painfully. "They pretend to love you... and once you give them your heart, they destroy you piece by piece."
Vivian didn't fully understand those words back then. She was only a child. Children believe parents eventually stop fighting. They believe broken things can still be fixed.
But days passed, then weeks and slowly, her bright and cheerful mother stopped smiling . She barely left her room anymore. Until one afternoon, Vivian walked in carrying her laptop, hoping to make her Mama smile again. Instead-
The laptop slipped from her hands. Her mother lay motionless on the bed. Empty medicine bottles scattered beside her.
"Mama?"
"Mama..."
The silence terrified her. And that day, Vivian Sinclair learned what heartbreak truly looked like. She cried until she could barely breathe.
And somewhere between the funeral, the grief, and the unbearable emptiness left behind....Vivian began to hate men.Because in her eyes, one man had destroyed her mother.
And she swore she would never let the same thing happen to her
~•~
