Aurora | ✓

9| Truth

"RoRo, tell him. Tell him it's a lie. It is a lie it has to be" my twin says heartbroken

I'm wiping my tears and more are coming out. They're all standing up now in front of the table on Atlas's side.

"Baby sister, can you please tell us? Please? You wouldn't have lied right?" Alessandro says and I realize they are more mad at the thought of me lying than me sleeping with Riggo, although I didn't sleep with him

"She wouldn't have lied, those nightmares can't be faked. Rora that's just a bunch of bullshit isn't it? Please tell us it is" Quinn says

I finally look up at their faces. They're all on the verge of tears. I try to tell them it's not true but no words leave my mouth.

"I told you all she was j-just like mom. I. Told. You" Matheo says pacing, what did Janine do to him to make him so broken about it?

They all start arguing and trying to ask me why I did it. Why I lied. Why I had sex with him and why I didn't just tell them the truth.

I start sobbing and I know I'll be having an attack if I don't calm down but I can't.

I ruin everything
I'm a whore
I'm useless
I'm a slut
I'm disgusting
I'm a bitch
I'm used
I'm trash
I'm a disappointment

All the thoughts come back to me and they're all still arguing. Atlas stops arguing with them and watches me for a few seconds.

He comes to my side while I'm still sobbing and surprises me by gently turning me towards him and holding my face as he kneels in front of me.

He has his hands on my cheeks. I'm still sobbing when he says.

"It wasn't consensual was it RoRo?" He says in such a gentle voice. More a statement than a question. That makes them all pause and look at me I start crying harder and frantically shake my head.

The world stops. My twin closes his eyes and leans his forehead into mine, then proceeds to cradle my head on his chest as I cry. Or well —ugly sob.

They all stopped arguing and the only sound in the room are my cries. I look up from Atlas's chest and tell him while shaking my head...

"I'm s-sorry I didn't w-want to I swear I'm sorry, I'm sorry p-please don't send me b-back ple-ease" I sob and try to say between my cries he puts my head back against his chest.

"Shhh it wasn't your fault baby. Stop saying things like that we won't send you back Rora breathe" he hugs me tighter and I can't stop sobbing. Atlas rubs my back with one hand while he holds the back of my head with the other.

"All of you out now please" I hear Atlas say and for a few seconds no one does. I'm holding on to his shirt for dear life.

"NOW" he harshly says

They all leave, including dad. Atlas picks my up and I cling to him like a little monkey. He settles us down on the couch and starts rocking us.

"It's okay baby, it'll be okay. I'm here. You can let it out. I'm right here"

I'm still sobbing "I'm s-so sorry I love you please don't hate me Atlas p-please"

"No RoRo I could never hate you. I love you more than anyone and everything. What happened wasn't your fault. He took advantage of you and it will never be your fault. You're a survivor baby sis and I'm proud of you for being so strong even though I wish you didn't have to be"

I sniff as the sobs slow down and I hug my twins neck burying my face in it. He's hugging me back just as tight. I decide I need to tell him the whole truth.

I sniff and pull back to look at him. I get off his lap and I sit Indie style facing him on the couch. I'm shaking so hard so he puts a blanket around me. I hug it tightly.

Atlas is looking at me. He knows I'm about to tell him. He takes my hand in his in silent encouragement. I'm sure the others are silently listening from the room beside us.

I sniff again and start telling him while catching all the falling tears with one hand
"I-it started three months ago. He'd never touched me like that, I was his punching bag but not his sex toy up until our 17th birthday...

He is—or was the principal of my school before he got caught for the drugs. That day a boy came up to me, he just wanted to ask me for our class notes. I don't even know what his name was.

As a principal he knew everything, when we got home he was really really angry. He started yelling and hitting me for talking to the guy. I heard a couple of my ribs crack and I was a mess of blood and bruises.

I thought that was all my punishment would be. I was so wrong. Later that night he-he came into my room and said he was going to do what he did because I needed to know who I belonged to.

I was in so much pain already but I still tried to get up. I started yelling for Maura, stupidly thinking she'd help m-me but she did the opposite. She helped him hold me down. I screamed and tried to get away but only made it to the floor.

Maura held me down as Riggo took what wasn't his to take and then they left me a b-bloody mess on the floor. I cried all night and afterwards he came almost every night for the last three months.

Sometimes he'd do it to punish me, once...two and a half weeks ago he used drugs to make me stay still and he went with it all day long but I was conscious and could do nothing to stop him. I had to stay in bed for the whole week...

Maura got jealous, or at least that's what she said...that he had started using me more than he did it with her so she came into my room and made me—made me pleasure her the whole week or else she'd call Rodrigo to come in and rape me.

I couldn't take it anymore so I did everything she asked. That day with the drugs he crossed a big line more so than he had 3 months ago but the day you guys got called...it was too much. What he did in front of his friends it-it broke me.

I don't even think I can tell you about it but the pain both physically and mentally was just too damn much so when he finished I went upstairs and...tried to kill myself.

I couldn't do it anymore Atlas I-I just couldn't I'm sorry I c-couldn't" I finish telling my story and start sobbing again

Atlas holds me again and whispers comforting words to me. I cry for what feels like forever before I fall asleep in his arms.

I remember Atlas carrying me to my room before oblivion claimed me.

✿
A/N
This chapter broke me. For real I was a mess writing it. It was so damn hard...
Thank you for reading, please don't forget to vote ⭐️