𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 is your average do-good lawyer on the rise to fame as a representative of young victims. Except her motivations aren't all that innocent. Rayne's only goal is to run from her past, to leave confrontation for the courtroom, no...
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𝗜t takes a special type of person to be as hateful and spiteful as Willow. To say what she said with zero hesitation – to not give a crap who she was insulting with her ignorant words. He could never understand someone who did that. Who acted as if emotions were an enigma to them.
He felt as if he didn't have a right to speak on that, nevertheless, as he was no better himself. He turned his emotions off every now and then when he needed to – when he couldn't handle the pressure of them. But still, at least he had them and he expressed them when he wanted to.
Rueben sighed and leaned up against the railing of the backyard gazebo. It was a quiet night, and he was viewing it alone. The only thing he heard was the sound of his own breath in harmony with the crickets. It was dark; hard to see before his eyes adjusted. He liked being alone, but not like this. Not lost in his own head.
Reaching down, he dove a hand into his pocket. He withdrew it a second later holding onto a packet of Marlboro Lites. He hated smoking, realistically, but he still did it. It was the only thing that relaxed him. The burn of the nicotine – he could focus on how much he hated the feeling instead of his emotional feelings. It calmed him easily.
He lit up and inhaled the smoke and still found himself struggling to be freed of his thoughts. He wanted to hurt himself for having such an immature meltdown back there. He wanted to smack himself for letting Willow's words get to him. He was better than that.
A smoke cloud appeared in his vision, he hated her. Ever since they were younger, she'd always gotten on his nerves. Always acted spoiled, always played the victim. But she was never like that with Lilliana. The two of them were practically inseparable as kids. Although Lilly was four years older than Willow, they had a really strong sister bond. It always confused him because his sister was so innocent and sweet and Willow was nothing less than manipulative, but they worked. If she were still alive in the present, she'd be nineteen and Willow would be sixteen. He knew that they would still be as thick as thieves and so, he couldn't understand why she would say those things. He couldn't understand her in general; he never tried to either.
Rueben closed his eyes and exhaled again, leaning his head against one of the support beams. He missed his sister more than he could express verbally. He wished she was still here, he wished he could do more than just keep her alive in his memories – but those were wishes. Shots into the dark. He had to accept he was never going to see her again.
It didn't matter that his sister was five years younger than him. Their bond was the strongest thing in this family. Although he'd always been dragged around by his father since a young age, he'd always made time for Lilly. Whenever she needed him, he was there, ready to help her take on the world. But he was a failure. He'd failed to protect the one innocent thing in this world. The one thing that gave him hope, hope that not everyone in the world was like his cold – hearted father.
