C58 Can you please leave?

The air in the room grew tense, suffocating the laughter that had just filled it moments ago. My dad's perplexed expression mirrored the confusion in the room, as if he'd been slapped with a cold dose of reality. I stood there, a reluctant silence hanging heavy between us.

"Elena," he stammered, searching for words that could bridge the chasm of misunderstanding that had suddenly opened up