Fifteen years have passed since Bella last saw her five brothers. She's 16 now. Estranged by circumstances beyond their control, their family ties frayed and fragile, lost to the relentless passage of time. But destiny has other plans as a letter, w...
Well, I'm officially the odd one out among my brothers. Yikes. It's 1 am in the night right now, and I blame my hopeless hunger for being awake hahaha. It's too late, so I don't think anyone should be up right now. I slowly tiptoed outside my room, trying to find the kitchen when I stumbled upon a door. Not daring to open it, I heard faint voices.
"She doesn't belong here, Xander."
"I know, she's a slut. Why did Alexander have to take her in anyway? He could have put her in a foster home. That whore shouldn't be here. Did you see the skirt she wore? Disgusting," Xander said.
It broke my heart. Am I a slut? Just because of the clothes I wore? Is that what they think of me?
"She's going to school with us. I hope she doesn't cause us any trouble or tarnish our reputation there. She needs to know that she's not our sister. We're just strangers who share the same blood," Xavier said.
Why the hatred towards me? I just met them today, and as far as I know, I didn't do anything to hurt them, or did I? I slowly tiptoed away from the door, not wanting them to know about my presence. I found my way to the kitchen, which, in fact, was empty. I found the ingredients and made cupcakes for myself.
As I carefully mixed the ingredients, my mind buzzed with a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, hurt, and a simmering anger. The hurtful words I had overheard echoed in my mind, each one cutting deeper than the last. How could they judge me without even knowing me?
But amidst the turmoil, there was also a flicker of determination—a resolve to prove them wrong, to show them that I was more than just the labels they had assigned to me. I would find my place in this family, whether they liked it or not.
I shuddered when I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I turned around, and it was Lorenzo. He shot me a glare.
"Uh, hi Enzo! I can call you that, right?"
"Yeah, whatever. What are you doing here at this time of the night?" he asked.
"I was hungry and couldn't sleep, so I thought of making some cupcakes. You want some?" I asked, with hope in my eyes that maybe, just maybe, we could bond over them.
"No. I don't want cupcakes made by you."
Summoning all the courage I had in me, I asked, "Did I do something to you all? I mean, I just met you guys today for the first time, and all of you hate me already. You didn't give me any chance to make a place for myself in your hearts. What's all this about?"
He shot me a very mean glare and just said, "You took away the thing we all loved, sorella."
"What was that?"
"Our mother."
"But we've never lived together, then how come?"
"Just shut up, bitch, and mind your own business. You don't know shit about us, and it's better like that."
I felt a lump form in my throat, tears threatening to spill over. How could they blame me for something I had no control over? And why did they hate me so much? The unanswered questions swirled in my mind, leaving me feeling more lost and alone than ever before.
But amidst the pain, there was also a spark of defiance—a determination to prove them wrong, to show them that I was stronger than they thought. As I finished making the cupcakes, I placed them on a plate and turned to leave the kitchen.
As I left the kitchen, my footsteps felt heavy with the weight of the conversation that had just unfolded. I couldn't shake off the hurtful words that had been thrown at me, nor could I ignore the lingering sense of unease that settled in the pit of my stomach.
But amidst the turmoil, there was a glimmer of hope—a small seed of possibility that maybe, just maybe, Lorenzo and I could find some common ground.
But before I could take a step, Lorenzo's voice stopped me in my tracks.
"Isabella, wait."
His voice cut through the silence like a knife, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to face him, surprised by the softness in his tone.
"Yes?" I replied, unsure of what to expect.
He hesitated for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I...I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It wasn't fair of me to lash out at you like that."
I blinked in surprise, taken aback by his unexpected apology. "Um, it's okay. I understand."
He nodded, his gaze flickering with something that resembled guilt. "Just...try to stay out of our way, okay? Things are complicated enough as they are."
I nodded, a small glimmer of hope igniting within me. "I'll do my best," I said softly.As he turned to leave, I couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. There was something about him, something beneath the surface that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
"Enzo," I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them. "Can I ask you something?"
He paused, casting a sideways glance in my direction. "What?"
"Why do you all hate me?" The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotion.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "It's complicated, Bella. You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," I insisted, my voice tinged with determination.
He hesitated for a moment, his gaze searching mine for any sign of insincerity. But when he found none, he sighed again, his expression softening slightly.
"It's not that we hate you, Bella," he began, his voice quiet. "It's just...we're still trying to come to terms with everything that's happened."
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. "I understand," I said softly. "But I'm not the enemy here, Enzo. I just want to be a part of this family."
He regarded me for a moment, his gaze searching mine for any sign of deceit. But when he found none, he nodded, a flicker of something resembling understanding in his eyes.
"I know," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry for the way we've treated you. We'll try to do better, okay?"
I nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Okay," I replied. "Thank you, Enzo."
As he turned to leave, I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope—a belief that maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance for us to find common ground, to forge a bond that transcended the pain and hurt of the past. And as I watched him disappear into the darkness of the hallway, I knew that no matter what the future held, I wouldn't give up hope. Not yet.
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