(Bri's interlude: So just a mini recap, we originally thought that Chuck and Charlie shared the same mother, but they don't. Ana is the mother of Chuck, Jenny was the mother of Charlie, and Mina was Ellie's mother. Chuck, Charlie, and Ellie all have different mothers and Ricci is their father. Just in case anyone was confused;p)
Peace, tranquility, and all that bullshit doesn't last long.
Approximately ten minutes later, I locked myself in the guest bathroom and cried my eyes out.
Then I stole the personal pan bacon pizza, while the cook had her back turned, and left.
Luckily the gate was open when I made my hasty exit, or else I would've driven right through that sucker.
Honestly, I think I had the right to leave. After all, I did spend two hours in that house, talking to my estranged family. I think I earned a break from all of that.
Could I have excused myself gracefully? Probably, but I just needed to get out right then and there.
I eat the hot pizza as I drive, and I try to distract myself with the radio, but my thoughts overpower the music.
I really wish I had someone to talk to about all of this. Right now, my go to friend is Niall, but he's being weird. So now I need a backup friend for my backup friend.
I think about Anna, but I hardly know her enough to load her with my dark topics. I mean, we've only hung out a couple of times in the past month. I haven't even met her husband yet, so telling her about my supposedly deadbeat father, wouldn't be ideal.
Daria is too young, I don't want to bother Josie, Zayn would tell Josie, and Louis.. well, I've never seen him take anything seriously so go figure.
Basically, I'm alone.
The thought makes me feel incredibly sad.
Not only did I lose my soulmate and the father of my children. I lost my absolute best friend. With Harry, I knew I could talk to him about any and everything. Like right now, I'd probably spill everything that happened, and he would listen to every word.
He would let me rant and rave, and then he would comfort me and give me his thoughts. Then he would kiss me and tell me that everything would be okay.
Except, nothing is okay.
I ran out of tears in that guest bathroom, so now all I can do is feel. Feel how I take a step forward in my life, only to be dragged ten steps back. Feel how fucked up my parents are/were and how I'm only getting one side of the story. Reliving the horrible feelings over and over again every time I think of my Harry.
I honestly believe that if I wasn't pregnant, I would've ended this a long time ago. I'm not strong enough to handle any of this, only I force myself to be. No one knows that I cry myself to sleep some nights. Or that I still get the good Harry dreams mixed in with the Harry nightmares. No one knows that I sometimes wonder if I would be happy by now, if I had ended it that day.
I force myself to clear my thoughts. If I spiral into depressing thoughts, it won't be good for anyone. So I just focus on driving and nothing else.
Just focus on driving.
▪︎▪︎▪︎
By the time I get home, the pizza is gone and I feel a little bit better.
Daria's car is in the driveway, and I feel relieved that she got here safely. I know that having her own car is good for her, but I constantly worry about her safety. I mean, she literally just turned sixteen some months ago. I worry, but I trust her. Roxy made sure that she had a good head on her shoulders.
I get out of the car and slowly make my way up the stairs. I take a deep breath, and then I enter my house.
"Daria?" My voice echoes throughout the house.
"In here!"
I quickly lock the door and follow her voice to the kitchen.
Daria stands over the stove, her back to me, and she's stirring something in a big pot. Unfortunately, it doesn't smell too appetizing.
Unwrinkling my nose before she sees, I take a seat at the island. "Whatcha got going on over there?" She stirs whatever substance is in that pot, then turns to me with a big smile with flour on her nose.
"It's a surprise! I know you left me money to order something, but I wanted to cook for you. You cook for me all the time, and I just wanted to return the favor."
My cheeks warm at her words. "That's very sweet D, but you didn't have to go through the trouble." I eye the pot that's bubbling behind her. She really didn't have to go through the trouble, but I don't have the heart to tell her that.
Daria's eyes suddenly widen and before I know it she's standing directly in front of me with her hands on my shoulders.
"Daria? What's wrong?"
She shakes her head. "Did you find out today?"
I slightly tilt my head. "Did I find out.. what?"
She waves her hand in the air in front of my stomach. "You know, the genders! Did you find out their genders today?"
"Um, no?"
D lifts an eyebrow and squints her eyes at me. "Are you asking me?"
I roll my eyes playfully at her seriousness. "No smartass, I didn't find out their genders."
Daria let's go of my shoulders and slumps against the island. "Thank God!"
What in the world is going on? "What? Was I not supposed to find out the genders today?"
"No, no, it's not that. I just forgot to tell you that I'm planning your gender reveal party with Josie. I was doing research on babies and I found that you could find out gender at 18 weeks. So while you were at your appointment, I was in school freaking out. But you didn't find out, so it all worked out! I can't wait to tell Josie!"
Daria happily skips back over to the stove and continues to "cook", completely missing my baffled expression.
Gender reveal party? This is the first time I'm hearing of it, and who knows how long Daria's been planning it, since Josie only found out this morning.
I don't know if I even want a gender reveal party. Those are supposed to have both parents, so that they can have a cute reveal moment or whatever.
For now, I just decide to forget about it until I've really thought about it. Right now, I am too exhausted and emotionally drained to even entertain the idea.
So, I just watch Daria cook and I rest my head on my arms.
I'm just dozing off when D gently shakes my arm. "Food's ready." Yawning, I get up, stretch, and make myself comfortable at the dining table.
Daria sets a plate down in front of me and then gets her own plate and has a seat. I look down at my plate to be pleasantly surprised.
"Today I've prepared roast chicken with mashed potatoes made from scratch and gravy made from scratch, with green beans, and macaroni and cheese."
"Wow, this actually looks very good, Daria."
She watches me with an expectant look on her face, and I realize she's waiting for me to try it.
Saying a silent prayer, I dig in.
A blissful expression crosses my face. "This is delicious!" Daria beams and begins to eat, happy with my praise.
The food is so good, until I get to the mashed potatoes. The potatoes themselves are fine, but the gravy is... let's just say I have to fight the urge to gag.
"Hey Daria?"
"Yeah?"
"What were you cooking in that big pot when I came in?"
"The gravy. If you want extra, you can help yourself."
Oh God. "No! I mean, no I have enough, thanks."
As we go back to eating, I wonder how I'm going to get rid of the mashed potatoes. The gravy has soiled the potatoes as well, and I cannot eat it. I spot a thick dinner napkin at the edge of the table, and I feel relieved.
"Uh, Daria? Could you do me a favor?"
She sets down her fork and gives me her full attention. "Sure."
"Could you go upstairs and get my slippers? These tennis shoes are just so... flat-ish, and my feet are killing me."
Flat-ish? Good job at being weird, Ellie.
Luckily, Daria doesn't question the flatness of my shoes and bounds upstairs.
When she's out of sight, I snatch the napkin and quickly spoon the mashed potatoes and gravy into it. Then I tie it up and throw it in my purse. I just hope that it doesn't open.
Just as I snap my purse shut, Daria comes back and hands me my gray fuzzy slides.
"Thanks Dar."
After that we eat and talk about each other's day. I really want to tell her about my quote unquote family, but I'm still not sure.
I'm still debating about it as we gather up the dishes to wash. As Daria washes and I dry the dishes, I make up my mind to tell her.
"So, D, there's something that I should tell you."
Daria pauses. "Uh oh. Is it bad? Whenever someone says something like that, it's almost always bad."
"Well, it's not bad, it's just surprising and maybe weird." I bite my lip, suddenly nervous to tell her. I don't know how she'll react.
Taking a deep breath, I just keep going. "So, my absentee father popped up in my life recently, and I found out that I have secret half siblings."
Her brown eyes widen. "Woah. Wait, is that where you've been going lately?"
"Um, not really, no. I mean, I've only been to their house twice. Today and a month ago. I found out some things and... I kinda want you to meet them."
Oh shit. What am I saying? I do want Daria to meet my blood "family", but I'm not ignorant to the fact that Ricci is a dangerous man. Oh yeah, and the fact that he's most likely the leader of the Mafia. He didn't tell me in his own words, but everyone running around calling him "Capo" made it pretty obvious. Especially after I used Google translate to see that the word meant boss.
Before Daria can say anything, I need to let her decide for herself. "But you don't have to because, like, he's... a dangerous man and, yeah."
Daria is pretty mature for her age, and I tell her the candid truth whenever I can. But I can't tell her that Ricci is the leader of the Mafia. Not only would she freak out, but I think I'd be breaking omereta or something.
"How dangerous are we talking? Like on a scale from Hannibal Lecter to Plankton." I would laugh, if Daria's expression wasn't so serious.
"Um, I'd say he's John Wick before they killed his dog. Like I said, it's okay if you say no. My siblings are kind of okay (shoutout to Charlie's sociopathic attitude) but my, uh Ricci, can be sort of intense."
Nope, I did not almost call Ricci my Dad. Nope, nope, nope.
Daria goes back to washing the dishes while I dry. I know that she's thinking, and I'm nervous about her answer.
When the last dish is washed and dried, Daria turns to me.
"Sure, I'd like to meet them."
I feel a strange combination of relief and stress as I hear those words. Ignoring the stress, I just hug Daria.
"Thank you."
We talk for about an hour, I tell her about them and as I do, I realize that I've got to get to know them better. Before Daria meets them, I have to know them well enough to be able to trust them to some extent.
Daria goes to do her homework, and I retreat to my room. I dig my phone out of the bottom of my purse to examine the messages that I knew were waiting for me.
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚:
𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐?
𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌?
?
𝑱𝒐𝒋𝒐 (𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆):
𝒉𝒆𝒚!!! 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒔! 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒙𝒐𝒙𝒐
248-056-****:
𝒉𝒊𝒚𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒄𝒌. 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 ❤︎
𝑰𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑷𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒊 (𝑵𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍):
𝒔𝒖𝒑 𝑬𝒍. 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆?
𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒑𝑻𝒐𝑴𝒚𝑳𝒐𝒖 (𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔):
𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑬𝒍. 𝑨𝒗𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖! 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑶𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑.𝒔. 𝑨𝒗𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆, 𝒔𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕! 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒂, 𝒌𝒊𝒅
𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆𝑹𝑼𝒐𝒌 (𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒂):
𝑯𝒆𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒆'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐? 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏 (𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒂'𝒔 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅) 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 😂 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆
𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔
The end of Louis' text makes me laugh because I'm literally a year older than him, and he's calling me kid. Also the text from Anna surprises me a lot. I never thought I'd meet her husband, let alone this soon. I read through the messages again and respond to Charlie first.
𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓 (𝐛𝐫𝐢'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞: 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐜 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 "𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫". 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫):
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆, 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒍𝒚. 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘... 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒚.
Charlie responds immediately, which surprises me.
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚:
𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖? 𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒆.
The question catches me off guard. What does he mean?
𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓:
𝒏𝒐, 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒅. 𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆
During our talk, I told Chuck and Charlie about Daria, and I made it clear that she is my sister too. They know not by blood, and seemed pretty cool with it. Chuck is the one who asked me if they could meet her, but I shot down that idea. Now, I guess I've changed my mind. My phone pings again, silencing my thoughts.
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚:
𝑶𝒌𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏. 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆
My eyes practically bulge out of my head! Please? Please? The prince of darkness and lack of emotion said please? Who is this guy and what has he done with Charlie?
I stare at the text in disbelief for a couple more seconds before replying simply.
𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓:
𝑶𝒌𝒂𝒚
Exiting out of that thread, I reply to my other texts.
𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎: 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓
𝑻𝒐: 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐𝒇𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒄𝒌-𝒚 (𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒄𝒌/𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆)
𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒆☻︎
~
𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎: 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓
𝑻𝒐: 𝑱𝒐𝒋𝒐
𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒐 ♡︎
~
𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎: 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓
𝑻𝒐: 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒑𝑻𝒐𝑴𝒚𝑳𝒐𝒖
𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔! 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔! 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅! 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 (☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞
~
𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎: 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒓
𝑻𝒐: 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆𝑹𝑼𝒐𝒌𝒂𝒚
𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅 :) 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌, 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑷𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒊!
I completely ignore Niall's weird text and turn my phone off. I seriously am starting to worry about Niall and I'm eventually going to have to talk to him. I need to know why he's being weird and kind of invasive.
Like, yeah, it's normal for best friends to be really close, but something about Niall just seems off lately.
Putting my mind to rest on the subject, I just do my nightly routine and get ready for a much deserved night's sleep.
As I put coco butter lotion on my stomach, I start to sing to my twins. I do this every night, it's sort of like my bonding time with them.
I already love them so much, and I can't wait to meet them.
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5 days later
Over the past week, I have been getting to know my brother and sister. Slowly but surely, Charlie is emerging from his hard demeanor, and is actually being nice.
I haven't seen Ricci since the day we had our talk, and I don't mind. I need space and time from him to sort out my feelings. Eventually, I will seek him out, but I'm not ready yet.
Today is the day that I'm taking Daria to meet Charlie and Chuck. To say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I eat a lot, of course due to the fact that I'm pregnant, but I have been stress eating since I woke up.
I'm so nervous, that the food doesn't even have taste as I devour it. Really, I have no reason to be nervous. I'm sure that they'll all love each other, and everything will be fine.
Right?
Ugh! One of the things I'm really worried about, is that I don't know if Ricci is going to make an appearance or not. He is kind of intense, and if I'm being honest, I don't want him around Daria. I've built some trust with my siblings, but I don't trust Ricci at all.
I've learned some things about my half siblings that we ended up bonding over. It's just a tad bit strange...
Flashback
Settled in Charlie's room with a bunch of snacks and music playing lowly, I study my siblings. There's a few questions that I've been wanting to ask, but I just don't know if I should.
So far I've learned that Chuck's favorite color is all shades of yellow, Charlie's favorite color is black, Chuck hates onions unless they're on pizza, Charlie is allergic to cardamom, and that Charlie hates Ana. That last one was so obvious, I didn't have to ask about it. Ana doesn't really come around when I'm there, but she does sometimes. When she does, Charlie completely ignores her or gives her clipped answers. As for Chuck, I can tell that she loves her mom, but they're not close.
I know all of that, but the questions I want to ask now are more intense. I gather my confidence and just ask.
"So I've been wondering something..."
Chuck looks up from her bag of junior mints. "Ellie, you know you can ask us anything."
I bite my lip and absentmindedly rub my belly for comfort. "It's just that... I don't want to offend either of you with my questions."
Charlie sighs. "It's alright Ellie, just ask us."
"Okay, my first question is, do you guys have any family? Like aunts, uncles, or cousins?"
Chuck scoffs and rolls her eyes. "We don't have grandparents, but I have this annoying ass cousin who is actually coming to visit soon. She's prissy, super skinny and likes to brag about it, and has obviously dyed white blonde hair, though she'll go on and on about how it's her natural color. Recently she really thinks she's better than me because she has a secret boyfriend. Like, what? Having a fresh piece of sausage is nothing to brag about. Her mom, my aunt, is the exact same way. They both irritate me to my core. The only reason they're coming is to see my mom. Which I don't mind, because I could give a fuck about them."
Charlie and I stare at Chuck. Me in shock at the venomous rant, and Charlie in slight concern. Chuck blushes and looks down. "Sorry, that's kind of a touchy subject."
"You don't need to apologize Chuck." Charlie nods in agreement to my words. "Yeah, that little bitch has had it out for you since you were 7 when you punched her in the nose."
Chuck rolls her eyes again. "I only punched her because she tried to cut off one of my pigtails. It'd be crazy if I didn't punch her. Anyways, next question Ellie."
Clearing my throat, trying to rid of the slight tension, I blurt out my next question.
"Do you guys work for Ricci? Like is he your boss or your dad or both? Like, are you a part of the mafia?"
They look at each other silently, which I still can't stand. No matter how hard I try to push it down, the jealousy of their bond won't go away.
It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Technically, you could say that we're part of the mafia because we are Terrence's children. But officially, we are a part of it because we go on missions for the organization."
My eyes widen at Charlie's answer. "Missions? Like, killing people?"
Chuck shifts uncomfortably, but answers my question. "Yes."
The information shocks me only because Chuck is so innocent in my eyes. Even though she basically hates her cousin, uh I guess our cousin, she's still innocen to me. I just can't imagine her killing someone. Charlie on on the other hand, is probably a killing machine. I don't judge them though.
Instead my eyes light up with anticipation of an idea that just popped into my head.
"Do you have a gun range around here?"
Charlie nods. "Yeah, it's actually inside of a building in the backyard."
I squeal, literally squeal at the idea of shooting a gun properly after so long. I'm practically vibrating with excitement.
"Can we go? Can we go? Please?!"
They exchange confused looks but Charlie nods slowly. "Sure, just be careful. Beginners can be a bit reckless." I smirk at my half brother. "Let's go, shall we?"
He has no idea what he's in for.
We walk to the gun range in comfortable silence. In my case, it's comfortable silence and anticipation. I admit that I'm excited to show them my skill.
I get so lost in the beauty of the backyard garden, that I don't even notice the building until Charlie and Chuck walk right up to it. I study the camouflaged building, covered in the vines, flowers, and plants that grow about in the garden. Why does a simple gun range have to be so intricately hidden like this?
Chuck presses her thumb against something and a door, that's also hidden, slides open. She grins at me and motions me to come in. As the door closes behind us, I see why a 'simple gun range' needs to be hidden like this.
The inside is huge with tall ceilings, and weapons are everywhere. Literally from the bottom of all four walls, to the very top of the ceiling. Weapons.
I stare open mouthed, my fingers itching to touch, to explore.
"So, the targets are right over there. You can pick any weapon you like, but like I said, be careful." Charlie points to at least a dozen dummies against the wall. I roll my eyes at his words and slowly make my way over. On the way, I pick up a sleek silver 9mm and start running. I shoot at each target as I run, and by the time I actually reach the targets... I've shot them all.
Fast footsteps sound behind me and then, my siblings are standing on either side of me. I don't have to look at them to know that they're staring at the targets in shock.
"Holy shit."
"Beginner my ass! Charlie, look where she hit them!"
My face heats, but in satisfaction at proving myself. Every single dummy, I shot in the heart. The astounding thing about it is, that each bullet hole is in the exact same spot. I feel Charlie's eyes on me, so I turn to him and try not to smirk.
"Yes?"
"Where the hell did you learn how to shoot like that?"
Memories of Harry practicing with me at Josie and Zayn's house flash behind my eyes. I had training from Louis and Zayn for three weeks, but in the months before our wedding, Harry practiced with me for hours on end. Until I was absolutely perfect.
My smile dims at the memories, but I try not to let my turmoil show. I shake it off, and shrug at my half brother.
"Internet."
He looks at me like I've grown another nose. "You're telling me that you learned how to shoot like that from the internet? Bullshit."
I don't know how much they know about me, but it's clear that none of them knows about Harry. They don't even know that I'm connected to the Pythons. Something is telling me to keep it that way.
I just shrug again. I mean, he's not getting the real answer so...
"YouTube is a powerful thing, Charlie. Now-" I flip the gun so that the handle is facing him. "Show me what you've got."
End of Flashback
And show me, they did. My siblings were excellent at shooting, but I realized that I was better than them. I'm not being cocky at all, it's just the truth. A truth that shocked the hell out of me. They were good, but their aim and agility was a bit off. Dont get me wrong, they have skills, but it just made me realize how hard Harry trained me. That just makes me miss him more.
As the fond memory fades away, I stare at myself in the full length mirror. Chuck instructed us to wear formal wear for our lunch outing. We're going to a fancy brunch restaurant, but we're meeting at the mansion first, so that we can all go together. I'm wearing a strapless nude maternity dress with blood red heels, and blood red lipstick to match. The dress is surprisingly stylish and hugs my curves while leaving some room for my stomach to breathe. I curled my hair and placed it in an updo with curly tendrils framing my face. I really wanted to wear flats, but that would kill the outfit, so I'll suffer it out until it's over.
My belly really sticks out in this dress, and it makes me look more pregnant than what I am. It kind of worries me, since it draws attention to the fact that I'm pregnant. None of my estranged family has questioned me about my babies or about their father, but I'm worried that the question will come up one day. I honestly don't know what I'd even say.
Pushing away thoughts about things that might not even happen, I just grab my red clutch purse and slowly walk downstairs.
Daria is standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking beautiful as ever. She has on a silk rose gold strappy dress with matching rose gold heels. Her hair is bone straight and rests in a low ponytail. Her silver jewelry matches the outfit surprisingly well.
When I get close enough to her, I hug her as best as I can, with my belly and all. She laughs and hugs me back.
"What's this for?"
I squeeze her, careful not to wrinkle her dress. "You look beautiful, Dar."
When I pull back, her brown cheeks are a bit pink and she fidgets a little. "Thank you. It's not too much, right?"
"No, it's perfect!"
She grins, flashing her white teeth. "You look beautiful too, El." Thanking her, I take her by the hand and walk us out of the house. I decide to take my car, and Daria pouts a bit that she can't drive. She gets over it fairly quickly as she starts texting her friends.
Meanwhile, I turn on the radio and try to calm my nerves. I pull out my emergency stash of sour patch watermelon, and nibble as I drive.
During the drive, we make light conversation and Daria alternates between talking and texting. We reach the house in what seems like minutes instead of an hour and a half. The guy at the gate doesn't even stop me, he just waves me through.
This time I park in one of the parking spaces, but I make sure it's the closest one to the door. Better safe than sorry.
"Does Obama live here? Holy crap." An unexpected laugh bursts out of me and I look over at Daria to see her staring at the mansion in awe.
I needed that laugh, it helped to ease up my anxiety. "Come on, let's go in."
This past week, when I would come over, I eventually got comfortable enough to let myself in. So I do the same thing now, not missing Daria's expression of disbelief.
"Chuck? Charlie?"
"In the living room!"
I lead the way towards the livingroom, my nervousness at an all time peak.
Chuck and Charlie sit on one of the couches, leisurely looking at the television. When we come in, they both stand up, but Chuck rushes over and hugs me.
Then to everyone's surprise, she hugs Daria with equal enthusiasm. Daria is a bit caught by surprise, but she hugs my younger sister back. When they pull away, Chuck has a big smile on her face.
"Sorry about that, I'm just so excited to meet you! I'm Caroline, but you can call me Chuck. Back there creeping in the shadows like an outdated vampire is Charlie."
I try to stifle my laugh by covering it with a cough. Though the way Charlie scowls briefly at me, I know he heard.
While they get acquainted, I take notice of their outfits.
Chuck is wearing a high neck, sleeveless, golden yellow dress with white heels. She has on gold jewelry, and her equally golden hair is pulled up into a high ponytail.
Charlie has on a dark blue suit, with wing tipped black boots. His dyed blonde hair is slicked back perfectly, but I can just see the beginnings of his brown roots peeking through.
I tune back into their conversation when Daria looks at all three of us in fascination.
"I'm Daria, nice to meet you guys. Can I just say that you all look like clones? Like seriously, even with the slight differences you all have, you could be triplets."
We all laugh, even Charlie, at the incredulity of her tone.
"That's how I automatically knew that we were siblings. When I first saw them, there was no denying it." I remember that day well. My life changed that day, though I didn't know at the time.
We talk for a little more, then we agree to get going. We all pile into this huge black SUV that's waiting out front. I notice a few guys are coming with us, but I know that it's just security.
I was trying to keep the truth concealed from Daria, but she's too damn smart, and I know that she knows that something is up. I can tell by the way she studies the bodyguards warily.
Thankfully for the rest of the day, she doesn't ask me about it. I don't know if I could've kept the truth from her.
Lunch goes well between the four of us. We're all talking, laughing, and really bonding with one another. Conversation flows well, but I'm slightly mortified when Daria brings up the gender reveal.
"So, I'm not sure when it'll be, but I'm planning a gender reveal for Ellie. Would you guys like to come? I mean, you are the aunt and uncle."
I just stare in silence as they both agree to come.
I still haven't decided if I even want the party or not, but it seems as if my choice doesn't matter. I know she means well, but Daria doesn't understand the depth of my constant pain. No one does. I've kept it hidden so the ones I love don't worry, but it hasn't gone away.
A gender reveal would be amazing and wonderful, but I would definitely feel the blow of not having my soulmate standing by my side.
Thankfully, the topic changes and my anxiety dissipates. Everything is going great until we're about to leave.
I see him before anyone else does.
Ricci.
He's dressed up in a silver suit, his silver curly hair perfectly styled to match.
Before I can say anything, or warn anyone, he swoops down and takes a seat next to Charlie. The table grows quiet.
"Hello children. I'm just popping in to say hello and to meet Ellie's sister." He holds out his hand towards Daria. "Nice to meet you Daria. I'm Terrence Ricci, Ellie's father."
I frown, irritated. Biologically he is my father, but the way he said 'Ellie's father' made it sound like he loves me. I have never believed that, and I won't start now.
Daria hesitantly takes his hand and shakes it. "Nice to meet you."
Ricci sits back and coolly regards Daria. "So, tell me about yourself. How's school going? You just started 10th grade, right?"
"Yeah, it's all a bit confusing though. The schedule is completely different from an American school, but I enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to the big Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks we get."
As they talk, I make sure to observe how he interacts with her. On a side note, I notice how Chuck and Charlie have gone completely silent, their personalities gone.
To my utter relief, Daria doesn't invite him to the gender reveal. A small part of me feels bad, but the part that has suffered because of his absence overpowers.
After their conversation, I get the check from the waiter. We had all decided to split it, excluding Daria, but Ricci snatches it from me.
He pulls out a black card and hands it to the waiter. "It's on me."
I don't say anything, which he doesn't seem bothered about.
As we're walking out of the restaurant, Ricci says he has business to attend to and disappears in a silver car. When he's gone, it's like everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.
The ride back to the mansion is fun and laid back. We're all comfortable around each other, and I'm happy that my siblings love Daria as much as I do.
"Ellie, can I drive home? Please? Pretty please?" We've said our goodbyes to my siblings and we were just about to get in the car. I look at Daria for a moment, considering her request.
"Alright fine." She squeals and rushes over to the driver side, taking the keys from me.
As she's driving, I take my heels off, rubbing my sore and slightly swollen feet. I should've wore the flats.
"So, what did you think about them?" I've been dying to ask ever since we started driving, but I waited for her to adjust.
She glances over at me with a small smile on her face. "I love your brother and sister. They're great! Your father is um, well he has a weird vibe. No offense, El."
I snort. "None taken. Just... stay away from him, okay?" I get serious when I think of all the lying that he did to my mother. I don't trust him.
Daria's keeps her eyes on the road, but her face slightly changes. "Don't worry, I will. He... scares me."
I don't respond to that, I just physically comfort her. The truth is, he scares me too.
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Do the chapters drag on? Are they too long? Please lmk. Also, Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year!
20 votes for the next chapter! ♡
p.s. the next chapter is when shit will start hitting the fan, you guys are going to be pissed at me. So, sorry in advance :p
♡bri