Chapter 6

I swallowed thickly as I looked in to the second suitcase. 

There were a few items at the bottom of the second suitcase, one of which was my phone. 

The notebook with only three pages used was also laying at the bottom, along with some pens. The notebook had a small white paper peeking out of it, as if someone left it there for me to see.

There were also a few charms and necklaces, ones' I have never been able to wear. Even if I do force myself to wear one, it was always hidden under the scarf of the day.

My phone, the notebook and the pens were not the ones' that made me freeze though. It was the picture frame that held the one precious photo I've ever owned.

The only family picture we took laid at the bottom of my suitcase, staring up at me. 

It was the first and last time our family took a picture.

My father Custo, my mother Julia, My older brother Eliot, my twin sister Elizabeth, my grandfather Alber and myself all looked like a one big family. Even though I was the only one smiling in the picture and the rest were keeping their graceful frown on the faces, I could tell that we were a unit back then.

The picture was taken a year before the incident. It was taken during my older brothers' birthday.

I crouched down next to Dalinda and picked the picture frame up. 

My grandpa was sitting on a chair that looked like it was made to fit a king. On either side of him, My mother and father sat, acknowledging his superiority in the family.

Directly behind grandpa stood my older brother and at either side of him, my sister and I stood.

Looking down at the picture pulled me in to old memories, forcing me to remember the details of the day the picture was taken.

Our mother forced my sister and I to wear identical dresses. The dress was a black sweater dress that was knee length and had a white collar. Our hairs were braided back, which was a failed attempt made by our mother to make us look alike even though we look nothing alike.

My grandpa, father and brother all wore black from head to toe, including their shirts and ties while our mother wore a beautiful black gown along with expensive Pearl necklace.

It almost felt like we were going to a funeral instead of a birthday party.

No one wanted to take that picture but our mother had insisted. I honestly couldn't figure out how she got grandpa to take the picture with us.

Eliot, being the golden child of the family, had a secret surprise party waiting for him after the picture was taken.

Our mother hired a professional photographer and we ended up taking the picture at home before we left. 

That was exactly a year before the incident that stole my voice.

As it was the first ever family picture we took, mother had promised that we would take another one on Elito's next birthday as he would be turing eighteen years old by then.

But then, I was taken and... that ended up being the last day I ever saw my older brother. And that was the last day I ever heard my own voice.

I looked down at the picture with blurry eyes.

I never knew what happened to my older brother after that day. 

After I was found, he was nowhere to be seen. While Elizabeth never left my side through out my entire recovery, Eliot never once came to visit me and see how I was doing.

There were times that I thought he was taken too and that maybe he wasn't lucky enough to make it back.

 But my father would always assure me that Eliot was indeed alive and that he was away to further his education.

What kind of education was it that he never answered his phone or never called. He could have atleast written me a letter.

What made the entire situation weirder was that my family refused to tell me where he was. 

If I asked about him, My mother would scold me, my sister would pretend to not understand my question, my father would look away with shame written in his eyes and my grandfather would straight up ignore me.

When it came to what happened to my brother, I was left in the dark. I'm still in the dark.

However, sometimes I wished I was Eliot. I wondered what it felt like to just get up and leave, to disappear in to thin air and never return.

"Ella?" I heard Dalinda's voice before I felt her right hand on my shoulder.

I glanced at her with blurry eyes before I looked back at the picture frame.

My eyes zeroes on my father's frowing face and the tears that were dangling at my eyelashes finally fell.

He's gone too.

Just like my older brother, my father left me out of the blue. Finding out about his death was heart breaking. I didn't get to mourn before I was forced in to a white wedding dress and down the aisle.

I didn't even get to say goodbye for the last time.

"Ella?" Dalinda called out again, worry laced in her voice.

I sniffled and wiped my tears before I picked up my pink notebook.

'Do you think Elijah will let me go to the cemetery?' I wrote before I turned it to Dalinda.

Dalinda read what I wrote before she lifted her eyes to mine. 

From the uncertain look on her face, I already knew the answer was no.

"I don't know, Dear." She replied.

Nodding my head, I picked up the rest of my stuff and stood up straight.

"Ella?" Dalinda called out.

I looked at her as she stood up as well.

"I'll talk to Elijah for you. I'm sure he will let you go." She commented with a sad smile.

For some reason, I couldn't believe her.

I've encountered Elijah a few times before even though he's never seen me.

Being my father's business partner meant that he came to the house multiple times for a dinner party. But he did show up to our home all by himself.

My father and Elijah would disappear in to my father's home office for hours and by the time Elijah would leave, my father would be close to passing out.

He would turn pale when ELijah calls him and father was always nervous around him. And so was the entire family, including my grandfather.

Grandpa is not the type of person who is easily intimidated. But at the sound of the last name Smith, he was always left unease.

Imagine how I feel getting married and tied to him for the rest of my life.

Elijah had already shown me his color the day of our wedding ceremony. Starting from forcing a kiss on me to looking like he was about to kill me. It gave me a sense that just as his last name was a problem in my house, my last name might be a problem in his too.

That was the reason why I couldn't believe Dalinda when she said he would let me go. I didn't even know why I asked her in the first place.

Offering her a small smile, I walked out of the walk in closet and made my way to the bed.

Assuming the left side of the bed is my side, I placed the picture frame on the night sand at the left side.

Even though I don't think I will ever be able to sleep on this bed, it made me feel better to have the picture with me.

***

Dalinda left a few minutes after she finished unpacking the second suitcase.

She told me that she was needed downstairs and that she would return as soon as she can to help me unpack the third suitcase.

Dalinda took the tray she brought breakfast on and before she left, she told me to leave the bedroom and explore the house, warning me against staying in the room the entire day.

I didn't mind staying in the bedroom for the entire day. I'm used to it.

Walking back to the walk in closet, I dropped my phone the the floor and sat down in front of the third suitcase, hoping to unpack my weapons.

But before I could unzip the suitcase, I heard my phone buzz.

Picking up the phone from beside me, I unlocked it only to find multiple text messages. I already knew that it was Elizabeth.

My twin sister started texting me the second Elijah and I left the reception even though she knew well enough that I wouldn't have my phone.

'Ella, are you okay? You didn't look well at the reception.' was the first text she sent. It was soon followed by more.

'Ella, please text me back as soon as you can and let me know you're fine.'

'We just got home and it feels so empty without you.'

'I just realized you don't have your phone with you. I feel silly. ;)'

The following texts were sent after the suitcases were delivered but because the phone was at the bottom of the suitcase, I didn't hear the buzz.

'Good morning, Sis, how was your ngiht?'

'Ella, did anything happen last night?'

'I hope Elijah is not as bad as they say he is.'

'Ella are you okay? Please text me back. I'm getting worried.'

That was the last text sent, which was a few seconds ago.

'Good morning, Elizabeth.' I typed in before I hit send.

A few seconds later, she replied.

'Thank goodness you replied. I was worried sick that I barely slept last night.'

A sad smile cralwed up my lips as I read the text she sent me.

That's Elizabeth. She worries too much.

'I'm fine. You don't have to worry about anything.' I replied.

'Are you sure? Did Elijah do something to you last night?' She asked.

I could tell that Elizabeth was eager to know what happened last night. While Elijah didn't do the worse to me, he still scared me to no end. Just thinking about his heavy words, the way he grabbed me like I was nothing but a little mouse and the dirty words he used to describe my father made me shiver.

I didn't want to tell Elizabeth just how cruel the man was for a few reasons. Some of which was because I didn't want her to worry or do something stupid like marching herself here and demanding an explanation.

'I'm sure.' I replied, hopping that she would let it go.

'Okay. Will I be able to see you anytime soon?' She asked.

'I'm not sure...' I started typing but I stopped  when I heard the door open.

Thinking that it was Dalinda, I stayed seated and continued typing my reply to my sister's text. But the second I heard his voice, my thumbs force and my heart dropped in to my stomach.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" Elijah's roar came from the bedroom.

Realizing my mistake and what might have cause his reaction, I dropped my phone to the ground and got up before I rushed in to the bedroom.

Elijah stood by the left side of the bed, right in front of the nightstand. He was looking down at the picture frame.

I couldn't see his expression but from the way both of his hands were tightly balled, I knew he was not pleased.

I wanted to rush past him and save the picture frame, but I was also too scared to get too close to him. 

I watched as Elijah leaned in to pick up the picture frame.

The sound of my phone buzzing came from the walk in closet, pulling at Elijah's attention.

He glanced at my direction over his shoulder and realized that I was standing behind him.

Elijah fully turned to me before he waved the picture frame in front of me.

"What is this?" He asked.

It's clearly a picture frame with a family picture in it. I didn't understand why he was asking me that.

"Why is it here?" He asked as he took a step closer to me, forcing my feet to step back.

My lower lip trembled at the sight of the large man approaching me with a murderous look on his face.

"ANSWER ME" He roared, causing me in jump a bit.

I reached in to my pocket to fish the notebook out but I realized that it was in the walk in closet.

Fed up with my silence, Elijah lifted the hand that was holding the picture frame over his head and my heart got stuffed in my throat as I watched him throw it across the room with all of his might.