"Secrets help toxic parents cope by turning their families into private little clubs to which no outsiders are admitted."
- Excerpt from Susan Forward
I hear a woman's voice and unless they ended up getting divorced, I'm assuming it's Amelia.
"Chloe, can you please call Ariana?" she says and I think the woman is in the kitchen, most likely getting the food ready.
"Ariana! Come down for dinner!" Chloe shouts and she sits down in a seat. I listen, sitting down in the seat next to her and Lorenzo does the same, one right next to me.
I see a little girl run into the dining room and go to Lucas.
"Daddy! Can I have ice cream after dinner," she asks him as she sits in a chair.
I wasn't expecting her to call him that. He was considered her 'father'. So, is he actually her... father?
He had another child?
Wow. He really has some obsession with me. You go and abandon your daughter to go and have another one. Ariana and I have similar features; black hair and blue eyes. It doesn't help that she has my middle name.
Brielle Ariana Williams.
It makes me upset and angry. I'm not mad at Ariana because it's not her fault that she was born and her father is a piece of shit.
"I'm sorry," Chloe whispers in my ear, "I wanted to tell you but... you definitely wouldn't have come."
"I'm fine," I tell her.
"Okay. Here's the food, sorry for the wait," a woman confesses, holding a tray of chicken. She places it in the middle of the table.
"Hello," she greets us, sitting down on the table, "Introduce us to your friends, Chloe."
"Well, this is Brielle and Lorenzo, her friend," she introduces.
"Great," Enzo mutters and I turn to him, elbowing him in the side. Of course, Enzo would be upset. However, I don't know what we actually are to be fully honest. Imagine I assume we're dating and he thinks otherwise... that would be an embarrassing situation to be in.
"Get over yourself," I whisper back to him and then turn back to everybody, giving everyone a wave.
Amelia begins digging into the food and it's probably the first time where I actually notice the rest of the food. Food that looks really appetizing.
Everyone, including me even though I don't have much of an appetite, begins digging in as well. Everyone else begins to chat, especially Ariana and Lucas.
They were acting as father and daughter... a family.
Something we used to do once at a dinner table. My appetite weakens even more.
Lucas occasionally made eye-contact with me and would glare. I would also glare at him back, I'm not afraid to glare at him.
I'm not afraid anymore.
Ariana began explaining away about what happened during her class. Frankly, I wasn't paying attention and just nit-picking at my food but now the conversation piqued my interest.
"My teacher called my name pretty!" Ariana shouts and Amelia hushes her down. I bite my lip to hold my anger from exploding out.
"Did he really? I mean I always liked the name too. Ariana. So adorable," Amelia compliments and I bite my lip harder.
"I mean, I suggested it," Lucas said, laughing.
"Obsessed," I grumble because I hated how they're obsessing over the name that Lucas gave her. The name he gave me. Is he trying to replace me?
"What did you say?" Lucas asks but in a threatening manner. I look up at him and plaster a fake smile on.
"Nothing."
He might be trying to replace me. If that's the case though, why? I didn't do anything to him.
"Chloe. Where in the world did you encounter and think it's a good idea to invite two bad influences in this household?" Lucas said, interlocking his fingers.
"Excuse me? What in the world do you mean by that?" I ask, with a lace of venom in my voice.
He doesn't answer but I persist, "You don't even know me but I'm a bad influence?"
"Come on, look at his tattoos. He has two sleeves on. Chloe, you probably brought drug addicts in this house," he insults. I scoff.
"Wow!" I shout, "It's funny coming from you. You're telling me I'm the fucking bad influence!?"
Lucas glares at me with that stupid fucking look on and I hate it. I hate it so much that it only makes me angrier.
"You're over there sitting so fucking happy with your two daughters completely forgetting that I'm here. I'm your first born daughter. But no, I'm a bad influence!?" I shout. I can't calm down my rage and I can feel tears wanting to push out of my eyelids.
"Brielle. Calm down," he scolds and I raise a brow and almost laugh at his ridiculousness.
"I need to calm down?" I shout, standing up now full of rage bursting out of my veins
"Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you? Did you never want me as a child?"
I look over at Ariana, a child who looks almost like me when I was her age. I see her a little scared and I feel bad for screaming and cursing.
I sit down, "I'm sorry," I whisper and look down at my food. It was so appetizing but it looks nauseating now.
I glance over at Amelia who has a confused look and is looking between both Lucas and I.
I fucking hate her.
Knowing that Amelia has this dumb look on is getting me more and more mad.
I can't calm down even repeatedly counting to 10 continuously.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I say. I don't need to go to the bathroom at all, I just need someplace to go.
I stand up and Lorenzo attempts to as well but I tell him, "I'm fine," and he sits back down. I don't want to leave him here but I need to be alone. I don't want anybody near me right now.
I walk out of the dining room and I have no idea where the bathroom is but I just go to another room. Looking around it seems to be their living room. It really looks nice and clean except for a sprinkle of toys.
I hear padded feet walk into the room and I turn around to see Amelia. I scowl looking at her and her... disgusting face.
Everyone wants to get on my fucking nerves but I'm not going to let this one talk to me.
I turn around to walk out of the room but Amelia grabs my wrist. I don't like her touching me. I rip my wrist out of her grasp and I look at her in disgust.
"Don't touch me. You ruined my fucking family," I seethe.
I turn around and I go to walk off but she says, "I didn't know," causing me to turn sharply to face her.
"What?"
"I never knew. At all...about anything that happened," she confesses and I raise a brow.
I don't want to believe her. I'm refusing to believe this woman who probably manipulated my father into leaving my mother and I.
"Four years ago, I'm pretty sure, I saw you being escorted by the police. He told me that it was some random girl who had gone insane. Her mother convinced her that he was her father when he wasn't. I feel stupid for believing him now," she admits. I open my mouth to answer my thoughts but I keep quiet.
"When we reunited again, he told me he was divorced and only had one child. Chloe. You got to believe me when I tell you that if I knew he had another child... I would never let him treat you like that. Ever." I look her in the face and it's...concern...for me. I look her deep in the eyes. Blue to blue and I know that she's telling me the truth. She's not lying to me.
It hurts even more.
"What about the court date? When he took me to court for the restraining order?"
"That day... Um. He told me that Chloe and him were going to be out. I was wondering why it was so early in the morning but he told me that they were going out for a daughter and father's day out. I didn't question anything because I didn't want to go in the first place. I was pregnant with Ariana then," she explains, fiddling with her fingers, however she keeps strict eye-contact with me and I know she's still talking the truth and not lying.
"Brielle," she says, holding my hands tightly, "Knowing this now. I mean I was suspicious before based on how Chloe talked about... Ariana and another girl being similar to each other. Plus Lucas's threatening glares... trust me, I would leave him but...there's Ariana and that's her father and she loves him very much. If she was older maybe but she's 4 years old. I can't do this to her this young."
I blink, tears threatening to fall. She wasn't the manipulative one.
Lucas was. He did this to us all.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes and I nod, really trying not to cry. I take a deep breath and I know I need to keep my composure. If I don't.
Lucas wins.
- ECSTASY -
Since my life is not hectic anymore, I will be uploading properly and on time between 5-6PM. I apologize about the inconsistent updating especially when I said I was going to publish on a more proper basis.
- ECSTASY -