"I don't plan on going to Vincent's for a while, so you better not go there again!" Riley said, the next day over breakfast.
Lillian simply nodded her head in return, scrolling through her phone.
"Mom is hosting a family dinner. Are you interested in coming?" Riley asked with a her head ducked as she munched on her toast with one of her eyebrow raised.
"I will be busy." Lillian replied.
She wasn't part of their family so it made no sense why she would be there during family dinners.
Though she lived with them for about 2 years. She, ultimately, was nothing but a stranger to them.
She saw Stacy and Benjamin as a nice and loving couple who took her in- eventhough they didn't have too- because she reminded them of their daughter.
And she didn't want to take advantage of their kindness by intruding on their private family time.
Riley rolled her eyes hearing that. She didn't even say when it'd be held! She somehow always had an excuse to not go to family dinners!
But, she had gotten used to her sister turning her down everytime she asks her to come to one of those dinners and gave up on trying to force her to come after how it backfired on her the first time.
She felt down when Lillian turned her down the first time- about a month after they moved into their apartment- and was sulking for a while so Lillian eventually agreed to go reluctantly the next time Riley asked her to join her, making Riley grin like a Cheshire cat.
But on that night Lillian messaged her telling her she had some unfinished work to do and to go without her.
She twisted her brain, wondering if it was an excuse or she actually had some unfinished work to look over. But since Lillian actually did work over time, she had no way of knowing whether she forced herself to do it or if it was just a coincidence.
So Riley started simply asking her if she wanted to go or not, hoping she'd say 'yes' sometimes.
~~~~
"Come with me to the family dinner." Issac pleaded showing his infamous puppy dog eyes.
Lillian felt a familiar warm fuzzy feeling that she was beginning to grow accustomed to inside her, when she saw his face.
He looked cute.
Lillian shook her head in response. But she didn't open her mouth to give an excuse. She felt like he could see through her. Even if the excuse sounded real, as if he knows what the actual reason was.
He was..... unique. She noticed he had changed a lot over the years. Similar, yet different.
He was the same 5 years back but he was more mature and level headed now. Someone who knows what he wants and does his best to get it.
Lillian felt herself the edge of her lips kick up unconsciously, realizing she was one of the things he wanted.
But... what about her? Sure, she liked him but.. is that all? She had a hard time recognizing her feelings but she had gotten accustomed to having him around and knew she didn't want to lose him. But she wasn't aware of the depth of her feelings.
If it is only liking then it doesn't seem fair on Issac, no matter how much he denies it. It just wasn't fair.
"Why not?" He asked, stirring his coffee with a straw. He didn't have to hear her say it, he just knew why she was reluctant in attending.
She didn't have any issues going to any other dinners or parties (having seen her in pictures on Riley's Instagram), though she seemed lonely with no one by her side.
It's only the family dinners she had a problem with. 'Family' is the problem. She grew up in a highly dysfunctional family-if it can even be considered that- with a negligent father and a brother, who might as well have not been there at all.
With a family like that, she most likely had not felt any sense of belongingness.
And when she started living with them, she only saw herself as an extension of Riley, who was housed by their parents so as to not hurt Riley. It'd make sense why she won't attend the family dinners specifically. She saw herself as an intruder.
Though, his parents would love to disagree. Lillian was stubborn, internally. She might nod her head, showing she understood, but it is very hard to convince her internally.
"Just because."
"Come, not as a part of the family. But as my girlfriend." He added with an intense and determined look in his eyes.
Lillian cocked her head to the side in amazement.
Was he.... making a claim on her? Lillian chuckled in her head. She had only read about it in books.
"Why would I do that?" Lillian asked in a carefree tone, relaxed. It had just then clicked in her head that she had been feeling a lot more ever since she started dating him.
She couldn't exactly remember all her feelings but her thoughts only consisted of daydreams before dating him. But now, it's different. She was daydreaming... but about their future too. If there was one.
"So I can show you off." Issac replied in a 'duh' tone, like it was obvious.
"And why would you do that?"
"Because you are my girlfriend." Issac grinned as he said that. He felt an immense pride surge through his veins as he said that.
"Fine." Lillian replied lazily with a grin.
~~~~~
"You are coming to the family dinner too?!" Riley questioned- exclaimed when she saw Lillian dressed up after returning home.
They had managed to contact a close relative of one of the victims in the sex trafficking ring- who seemed fairly certain he'd be able to convince his sister to testify in court.
Apparently, she was kidnapped when she visited the States for the first time with her two other friends. They filed a missing person report soon after but couldn't get any information about her whereabouts for the past one year.
The brother saw a picture with a women dancing in the background with a vague resemblance of his sister.
He contacted the police regarding the picture and the news traveled fast and fell into the ears of FBI.
The FBI had a hard time talking to him since he was weary and easily agitated due to his previous experience with the cops, but Sean managed to calm him down and explain the whole picture and how they needed his help.
Now if everything goes well they'd be able to take down the sex traffickers in no time.
"Yes."
Lillian wasn't dressed in a fancy outfit, just her normal jeans with a long sleeve lacy white top.
"You said you weren't coming." Riley trailed off. Though she was really glad her sister would be showing up, she wondered what caused her to have a sudden change of heart.
"I changed my mind." Lillian briefly told her without giving her a reason.
Issac wanted to tell his family that they were dating so she should let him do so himself. Even though Riley already knows of their relationship, he just wanted to officially make Lillian his girlfriend in front of everyone. Though she wasn't aware how it would make much of a difference, if it makes him happy- then why not.
Riley nodded her head without probing for a reason, likely exhausted but it wasn't enough to dim the excitement that shone in her eyes.
"I'm just gonna take a nap for awhile. Can you wake me up after half an hour?" Riley asked Lillian as she tried to stifle her yawn.
Lillian nodded her head. "Sleep tight." She then said as Riley stretched her limbs and went into her room.
~~~~
"Riley, wake up." Lillian yelled out as she knocked on her sister's door.
Riley was and has always been a heavy sleeper. Lillian sighed before she opened the door to Riley's room and entering it.
It was cold.
That was Lillian's first thought when she entered the room and shivered.
"Riley." She called out again as she moved closer to her dead-to-the-world sister.
"Get up." She said, gently shaking her by the shoulder, sitting beside her.
Lillian had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from screaming out when she felt Riley's fingers wrap itself around her wrist and grip it in a tight and painful manner, her thumb pressing against her wrist, leaving no way for her to snatch her hand away and if she tried- she'd be running the risk of snapping it.
"Hmm." Riley stirred in her sleep, as she felt her body react on it's own. She opened one eye, halfway, to see who was trying to cause her harm and saw Lillian looming over her- making her jump in shook.
"Ohmygod I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. Are you OK? I'm so sorry." Riley kept apologizing repeatedly as she inspected Lillian's wrist to see if she had caused any damage, with concern and remorse visible on her face.
"It's ok." Lillian said, trying to calm her down. She wasn't hurt, she was just caught off guard.
Riley opened a drawer in the nightstand beside her and reached for a lotion, still holding on to Lillian's hand so she wouldn't snatch it away.
"I'm fine." Lillian tried telling Riley, but she paid no heed to Lillian as she opened the cap of the tube, squeezed some lotion onto the tip of her finger and gently rubbed it on lillian's wrist- which started to show signs of bruising.
"I'm sorry." Riley kept muttering under her breathe and she looked at her sister's wrist with wide eyes, shocked. She developed a habit of being alert in her sleep to keep herself safe while she was a cop doing night duties and managed to drift off for only an hour before switching positions with her colleague, just in case something happened.
She thought she had gotten rid off that habit. Riley though to herself with a somber look.
Though Lillian wasn't seriously hurt it didn't mean she wasn't close to getting seriously injured.
She couldn't belive she hurt Lillian.
"I'm fine." Lillian said, trying to get it through Riley's head.
Just then Lillian's ear perked up as heard the front door open.
"He knows how to pick the right time, doesn't he?" Lillian said at an attempt to crack a joke but it, instead, sounded as of she was uninterested.
"Why are you here...?" Issac trailed off as he glanced at Lillian than Riley- who seemed busy with something. Since Lillian's back was to Issac, he couldn't see what she was looking at.
He was wearing jeans too!
Lillian exclaimed in her head.
"I came to wake her up." Lillian said in a monotone.
Issac nodded his head at her before turning her gaze towards Riley. She still hadn't acknowledged his presence, still concentrating on something in her hand.
Feeling slightly curious, Issac stepped closer. Only to see Riley rubbing ointment onto Lillian's wrist.
"What happened?" Issac asked with a frown, kneeling down to inspect the bruise much closely.
Riley- only then- realized that they weren't alone in the room and her brother had also joined them and was kneeling on the carpet, beside her.
Riley turned her head to look at the intruder and her breath got caught in her throat, and eyes widened when she saw Issac.
Looking at him reminded her of their fight in the computer room, Casey's room.
Every single word they threw at each other turned into strands that stretched into a rope and encircled around her neck, tightening itself when she tried to breath, suffocating her slowly.
"Nothing." Lillian simply said. She didn't want to lie to him or throw Riley under the bus. It wasn't like she was seriously hurt or anything.
The siblings' relationship was already sour, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
Riley was grateful Lillian didn't divulge out the reason but bit her tongue in guilt too. Lillian only lied to save her from Issac's wrath. Her skin crawled in shame and she diverted her attention back to Lillian's wrist. The wrist was covered with the lotion. She gulped her saliva with difficulty.
"You're free to go." Riley said quietly.
"Do you want to join us?" Issac asked in a stiff tone.
"No, I will drive myself there. I'm not ready yet." Riley made up an excuse. She wasn't stupid, he didn't want Riley anywhere near him.
~~~
When Riley entered the house she saw Zach laughing, leaning against their elder brother- Steve- no doubt teasing or annoying him.
Her niece and her mother was sitting on the sofa. Sylvie was dressed as an elf- though it wasn't Christmas- and her mother was beside her, as she read one of her story books.
This felt like home. This was different than the aura she experienced at her birth parent's house. It was relaxing. Like she wasn't carrying anything heavy on her shoulder.
"Riley!" Steve exclaimed, when he noticed her with relief on his face, glad he finally found a reason to rid himself of his brother.
"My dear sister!" Zach said in the same tone with a fake British accent, following Steve's line of sight.
Riley looked at them with a wide smile.
"How long has it been." She said, reminiscing, engulfing her eldest brother in a bear hug and Steve returned it, patting her back in a comforting manner.
"36 days." Zach piped in.
Riley gave him a blank look before rolling her eyes at him. Whatever, she couldn't be bothered with him. She thought to herself playfully.
~~~~
While they sat on their respective places around the table, she noticed only Lillian had a cup of glass filled with soft drinks. Her mother definitely knows her sister! She hates bitter things.
"How long has it been, since we last sat together to eat. With no one constantly saying work is more important than family." Stacy said with a satisfied look.
Issac raised his toast proudly with a grin, knowing his mother was dissing him to which she scowled in return.
"Well since we got that over with. I got an investor for my hotel." Issac said excitedly, making his father pat his shoulder proudly.
A chorus of 'congrats' could be heard around the table.
"And I'm dating." He announced, earning a few curious look.
"At last." Zach said, rolling his eyes. "All the best Lillian, you're gonna need it." He whispered the last part, but it was loud enough to be heard around the table, making Lillian look up from her table a little bit before she diverted her attention back to her plate.
"I didn't even say who it was." Issac murmured, confused.
"It's not Lillian?" His mother asked with her eyebrow raised, as if she didn't belive he'd date someone else.
"It is...." which earned a smug look from his mother.
"Well you look cute together." Alice said with a fake smile. She didn't like Lillian ever since she first met her, and their relationship had deteriorate over the years due to Lillian's indifference. Lillian was just too cold for her preference.
Alice didn't understand how her sweet brother in law could like someone like... her. But to each their own, she suppose.
"Thanks." He said with a grin, oblivious.
~~~~~
Zach climbed over the roof and sat beside Riley- who was looking at the stars. He, too, joined her in stargazing
"It's still hard to believe Lillian and Issac are a couple."
"It's still hard to believe it took him so long to make her his girlfriend. Would've happened much faster if he had only listened to me."
"You knew?" Riley shrieked out, surprised.
"Everyone knew! Why do you think dad let her stay!" Zach exclaimed, looking at her as if she grew two heads. It was so obvious Issac had a thing for her since day one.
"Cuz she was my twin? And am I the only one that didn't know that?" Riley asked, feeling betrayed. How the hell was she so oblivious.
Zach laughed out, shaking his head.
"Nah, he only let her stay because Issac let her inside the house and put her in the room and Issac doesn't trust anyone easily." He pointed out. "If it had been you instead, dad would've definitely talked to her personally to see if she had any hidden motives, but her being your twin was certainly a good cover. Sorry, but you can be awfully naive at time." He then said nonchalantly, holding his hand out in surrender when she looked at him.
"Not true." Riley said with a pout.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted someone to talk too." Riley started after a couple minutes.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Zach said. He noticed how disturbed and silent Riley had been since the beginning and wanted to talk to her himself before she came to him.
"I'm a very bad person." She stated.
"Why do you think so?" Zach asked in a professional tone. He majored in psychology and he isn't trying to brag, but he's a pretty good therapist and owns his own psychiatry clinic.
Though he had to thank his father for making that second part come true.
"I regret choosing to go undercover. But if I stop going, I'm afraid I'll hurt Laura. And I don't know..... it's confusing." Riley spilled out, bringing her legs close to her chest.
Zach listened silently, taking in everything she said without judging. As he would to a patient.
"Do you want to be their daughter?" Zach asked when Riley stopped talking.
"I...- did Issac tell you that?" Riley thought about a minute before asking with a self depreciating scoff. After coming to her parents home. She realized didn't. She already had her own parents she didn't want more.
"He was really mad after your fight." Zach stated with a head shake, dragging 'really'. It wasn't that obvious at first when Issac came to see him at the club but it became more apparent once he started talking about Riley.
Riley hugged her feet and placed her chin on her knees, looking down at the garden- which seemed like it was underneath her sole but was actually really far away.
"I don't plan on being their daughter. This is a mission. And once it gets over, I'm out." Riley stated in a serious tone. It wasn't worth it. Issac's hate. Hurting her parents. It just wasn't worth it. At all.
"Even if you were, no one will hate you Riley. Sure mom and dad will be hurt, but I highly doubt they will hate you." Zach said thoughtfully. They adored Riley, even if she were to commit the gravest sins, Zach highly doubted they'd hate her. Or any of their children for that matter.
"Issac does." Riley replied quietly.
"Well, he has always been protective of Lillian." He said with a shrug.
Riley thinned her lips. She was her protector for the past 6 years! She made an inaudible sound from the back of her throat in self mockery. And Issac was protecting Lillian from her because of a person who couldn't careless about his daughter. No, because she wanted to pretend everything was all good and picture perfect even after knowing how much Lillian suffered.
Soon, a comforting silence encompassed them.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Zach asked, out of nowhere.
"Yea." Riley said, nodding her head. Thinking about Alex.
"Well, suppose... you died in child birth." He paused before continuing.
"How sweet! Makes me want to have children immediately." Riley replied dryly.
"And your boyfriend blames the child for your death and neglects them. Would YOU, as a mother, like it?"
"No...." Riley dragged, looking at him weirdly.
"Precisely. Similarly, Issac doesn't like that you, as his sister, wanted to get closer to the family that hurt his girlfriend." Zach explained, correlating the two situations.
"Not family. Only Laura, I'm sure she'd divorce him if she found out what Lillian had been through." Riley said with a convinced look.
Zach instead of agreeing with her- like she thought he would- shook his head making Riley look at him, confused.
"Maybe, maybe not. I highly doubt she would tho." Zach said with a shrug. He didn't know much about Laura to assess her personality, but he highly doubted it'd happen. If Vincent had been the way, he had been with Lillian, with her brother, Laura would've known what sort of person he was.
And if she still wanted to be with him, would her daughter getting raped even make much of a difference. Maybe it would, who knows. He didn't know her personally, so he can't really say.
"She would." Riley insisted.
"Darling, you, Lillian's sister- who hates this man to the core- had a change of heart when you met him and you think this women- who had been with him, for what, 30 years? Would choose Lillian over her husband?" He told from his point of view. He didn't necessarily see Laura as a bad person, but she wasn't a good person either.
"It's her daughter!"
"A daughter who couldn't care less about anything!" He said in a calm tone. "Riley, when you want to cling to your happiness, it's really easy to pretend nothing bad happened around you. To turn a blind eye to everything that would take your joy away.
Lillian doesn't care. It's easy to pretend that she didn't suffer a single bit. And it's hard to be sympathetic for a long time too, especially to an indifferent person! Even if Laura did know, other than some guilt, she won't feel anything. She is not going to uproot her entire life for a girl whom she doesn't even know that well."
Riley could feel tears filling her eyes. That wasn't true. Or was it? She could totally relate to a few of the things he said.
"I wonder what would've happened if Lillian had said something." Riley said, pitying Lillian and wiping her tears.
"Children are attention seekers. They don't turn quite overnight. They turn quiet when no one listens to them, till they have finally lost all hope. Who knows, maybe Lillian tried to tell people what was happening to her. But what can a six year old do when no one listens to her?"
"Wait what? Six years old? She didn't get raped when she was much older? I thought it only happened a few times. How did you know? I thought you guys weren't that close." Riley felt disgusted at the new piece of information she had just received.
How can anyone be attracted to a 6 year old? That is just revolting and messed up. Even a mere thought of it made her want to throw up.
And why didn't any one tell her that?
Right, Lillian hadn't said anything about being raped. She had accidentally overheard it while her parents were talking about it. The only time she vaguely mentioned it was when Riley had asked her about her sweetest moments.
She could feel bile coming up her throat when she recalled what Lillian stated was her sweetest moment.
Zach threw a funny look at Riley when he comprehended her words. He shook his head in denial.
"6. I didn't talk to her because I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, in case talking to males reminded her of her rapist. She didn't explicitly say she was raped, she said it in your birthday party if I'm not wrong.
See! She could tell a bunch of strangers what happened and do you really think she has never tried to tell her parents? Maybe they didn't listen. You can't tell, and Lillian won't say either- if she even remembers. It's common for abuse victims to forget their abuse." Zach explained.
That was... a lot. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Lillian could trust strangers but not the people she has lived with since her birth.
That sounds so ridiculous, doesn't it?
Riley hid her face in her hands. Trying to calm herself down. She can't even think of living like that for a day how did Lillian manage to survive that atmosphere for 16 years?
A house filled with people yet not a single soul you can trust....
~~~~
Riley felt her phone buzz in her pocket and uncovered her face to pull it out.
"Are you busy now?" Casey asked as soon as Riley picked up the call.
Riley looked at Zach beside her before speaking into her phone. "Depends, is it important?" She asked, her voiced sound like it was drained of any joy.
"I don't know. I'm not really sure. I just want to check whether it's true or not. How about you swing by my office tomorrow?" Casey suggested. She sounded weary.
Riley frowned. What was the matter?
"Sure." She stated before Casey hung up the phone and typed something on her computer. This can't be true. Casey thought to herself. If it, indeed, was true- she wondered how Riley would take it.
"That was weird." Riley said looking down at the phone in her hand.
"Well let's go down, before someone comes looking for us." Zach said, standing up and reaching out his hand to her. Riley heartly took it.
"Such a gentlemen! Maybe I should reward you with a pair of female underwear." Riley said with a wink in the end.
Another one of the jokes! It wasn't him! He was drunk!
"Gentle reminder; we are on the rooftop and I can easily push you down." Zach replied with an innocent smile.
Riley giggled. Well she felt better. Not her usual self but somewhere in between.