Enemy Beloved

53 | the other woman

This shouldn't be possible, then why do I believe Vaughn? Why do I trust him that he's telling the truth?

"Who was that girl?" I ask, unable to stop myself as I put two and two together. Vaughn looks unfazed, not replying. Frustrated, I step towards him, eating the distance between us until we are only a few feet away. "Vaughn, who was the girl? The one my brother got pregnant? Who was she?"

Vaughn remains as quiet as a stone, his face blank. I wait for him to say something, anything at all to confirm my doubts but he doesn't. Our parents stare at us in curiosity, Dad holding Mom to his side as she cries, hiding her face on his chest. Rose hugs Doris and they both hold each other close. Everyone waits for Vaughn to say something but he doesn't.

"That girl was me."

The voice breaks through the quietness of the hall and my heart twists in my chest when I recognize it. Everyone turns to look at the front doors from where the voice came from while I stand frozen, unable to believe who I just heard. Vaughn looks up, blinking his eyes as he looks at the doors too. I slowly spin around, knowing who I will see and I am right.

She hasn't changed the least bit in all these years, except for her dress-up, which makes her look older than twenty-six. Her red hair is tied in a ponytail behind her head, her oval face is pale, brown eyes looking ahead with all the courage she can afford. Her dress is a pale green color, the hem stitched to a decorative pattern. She has her fingers intertwined in front of her as she takes a step forward. She stumbles a little as if something is pulling her back. Beside her, David Lucretia stands with his hands behind his back.

"Thea..." Vaughn breathes behind me, his voice low. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought her here," David answers for her, shaking his head at Vaughn.

The man looks troubled for some reason. He nods at Thea when she looks at him and gestures to her with a hand to proceed.

She enters the hall with shaky legs, her steps so small that each one is clearly noticed. Everyone stares dazed at her like she is a dead woman coming alive.

"Who are you?" Doris asks her when she stops a little far from everyone in the hall, taking in the attention everyone is giving her with visible discomfort.

"I'm Thea Willows," Thea introduces herself, her voice soft as silk. "I'm the girl Vaughn was talking about."

Everyone looks surprised while I stand still, unable to decide how to react. Hearing her name from Vaughn's mouth was a different thing but seeing her here, speaking in person, is something else entirely.

"I know you," Rose utters, stepping ahead until she is standing in front of her mother. "You came to meet Vaughn at the hospital four years ago. You're his ex-girlfriend."

Thea blinks her eyes and then gives a weak smile. "Yes...I came to meet him and I am his ex-girlfriend." She looks back at Vaughn and I look behind me to see him giving her pleading eyes.

"Thea...don't..."

"No, Vaughn," Thea cuts him off. "I...I can't see you like this. It's all my fault..." She bites her lips and her eyes scan the hall, coming to a stop when they fall on my parents. "Mr. Hill, I'm sorry for the loss of your son. It was all my fault. I riled him up."

Dad looks stunned at being addressed by a stranger directly

"Hmm..." He clears his throat. "I don't...understand what you're talking about?"

"No, you don't but Claire does." I suck in a breath when Thea says my name, just as she looks at me straight. "Claire...I'm sorry you had to go through this. But you should know that Vaughn loves you, no matter what," she sighs. "I was Vaughn's girlfriend...but we broke up because I cheated on him...with Christopher Hill."