Who Am I

Samuele

"Good God, that man's a murderer," Cora murmured. Ivan sat down again.

"The police are on their way."

Blaire stared at the texts. Cora and Ivan glanced at each other. Ivan rubbed his head.

"Blaire......"

"It's fine."

"It's not. Blaire, you would only hold it in."

"You can cry," Ivan said. Blaire sat, thinking. Tears welled up in her brown eyes. She hastily swiped them off. She stood up.

"I'm done mourning. Who am I even mourning?"

Cora and Ivan slowly got up. Blaire walked down the hall.

"Please don't talk with me. I just want to be alone for a little bit."

*****

Blaire sipped coffee as she watched the people milling around the streets. The sky was a lovely shade of orange gold, pink dusting the very edges of the picturesque scene.

"Blaire."

"Cora?" Cora gently shut the door behind her, taking a firm step forward. She stopped. Blaire turned. "Did something-" Blaire got up. Cora watched with, perhaps for the first time Blaire could remember, a hesitant expression on her face. She gulped.

"I'm sorry, Blaire. I.... I thought it was better, but it wasn't. I'm ashamed to be called your friend, your cousin. I'm so sorry, Blaire. I was so....so dumb." Blaire hugged her.

"It's fine, really. I was upset at first, but I thought about it and, well, you were right. It.... I was weak." Cora pulled away. Blaire blinked at her tear streaked face and red rimmed eyes.

"No. You weren't weak, Blaire. You were in love. I-I was like that." Blaire hugged her tightly.

"I let everything go past me. I could have done something," Blaire said. Cora shook her head. Blaire gently led her to the couch.

"I thought things were fine too," she said. "But.....after he died..... I could never forgive them. Never." Blaire hugged her. She wiped away her own tears.

"He was a good person," she said solemnly.

"I looked up to Samuele so much. And ....and then the marriage and the contract and that horrible wench of a woman... I saw him waste away after she left. And he was forced into that awful thing for a deal. A partnership. Good God, what kind of parents do that?"

"But he'll always be there won't he?"

"Yes. I miss him. And Amara. My parents were once called lucky. Having opposite gender twins. Then they had me. Ruined their image they said." She laughed hoarsely. "They didn't even care about their first children."

"Have they....?" Cora shook her head.

"They tried at first with Ivan. But after Samuele..."

"You don't think it will ever work out."

"It's not like they ever bothered."

"So you're just waiting for them to die."

"Yes."

"Oh, Cora...." Cora's shoulders shook as she buried her face in a pillow. The sun slowly set, midnight pulling over the sky. Blaire got up, flipping on the light. She made coffee, silently handing her a mug. Cora gave a smile, tears already fading.

"Thank you," she whispered. She blinked. "I was sent here to comfort you, you know. Not sob my eyes out about an old wound."

"They're still quite serious." Blaire drank her coffee, wrinkling her nose at the taste. She added creamed before sitting down next to Cora on the couch. "Dod Ivan send you?"

"Yes." They drank in silence for several minutes. "Do you...love him anymore?"

"No. He lied. I don't know him."

"Good." Blaire choked on her coffee. Cora smiled, teeth showing.

"That was honest."

"It gets harder."

"Mm." Blaire turned to Cora. "How did you get through childhood while rejecting your parents? I know you studied a lot, but you do that for fun anyways." Cora gulped her coffee.

"I went abroad a lot with other relatives. At home, I just stopped talking with them."

"And they never tried to mend this?"

"They were surprised at first. Neither of the twins could do this. Sure, they were cruel and distant, but they never went so far to push their child over the edge. Not like me. Amara moved out the day after Samuele's funeral. I couldn't. I thought she should have a life where she could forget. They never bothered."

"They've never shown regret?"

"Outside of social dinners? Not really. I suppose my mother feels regret. It's a rather sad thing when the child that was incubated in your very stomach rejects you. But she was worse than my father. And I see know reason why I should forgive either."

"You wouldn't feel free?"

"I do not waste energy on hatred. I simply don't like them. I don't think there is a single human being who has forgiven everyone who has wronged them in some way. It would mean you love everyone. And that is impossible. No human being can never harbor ill feelings against another."

"Does fear count?"

"What a man fears, they hate."

"You are such a philosopher."

"I did study philosophy."

"Is this a girl talk?" Blaire smiled at Ivan.

"You can come in. It's more like a best friends talk."

"Aw, I'm touched," he said, closing the door. Blaire glanced at the keys in his hands.

"How many people did I give keys to this apartment to?"

"Me, Cora, Jason, your parents, the neighbors, I think you sent one to the police station-"

"Of course I did." Ivan sat on the other side of Cora. He hugged her, giving her a light squeeze.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Ivan turned to Blaire.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Have there been any updates?"

"Lotte said they think they've found a lead to who could have killed Sonya and who could have killed the Yukos. I told her what we found. She sounded a bit annoyed but thanked me for the trouble." Cora leaned on his shoulder.

"Do you think they'll find Jason?" She asked.

"Probably. And if not, I'll go myself."

"I'm going too," Cora said. She sat up. "I'm going to make him pay."

"It's time to make due on our threats," Ivan said, cracking his knuckles. Cora's eyes flashed.

"He violated our agreement."

"He hurt Blaire."

"He has to pay," she replied solemnly. Blaire looked between then before bursting out in laughter.

"Did you guys literally sit him down and give him a talk?" They nodded. "You guys are like parents."

"We care about you. And besides, aside from Ivan, our parents aren't around for this sacred agreement."

"Will you ever get married?"

"No. I used to call my men gold diggers, remember?"

What do you guys think? Are you starting to warm up to Cora?