I was eager to uncover the truth about what had transpired between my sister and Russo, but before I could even voice my question, he suddenly appeared. His expression shifted the moment he laid eyes on my father—stunned, almost disbelieving.My father, seemingly caught off guard, parted his lips as if to say something but hesitated. “Oh—” was all that escaped him.An uneasy silence settled between us, thick with unspoken words and unanswered questions.“Anyway,” Russo finally spoke, his tone flat but firm. “I came to let you know that I’m heading back home. Maya called—there’s something I need to take care of over there.”My father, who had been sitting in contemplation, immediately rose to his feet and took a step closer to Russo. His expression was softer now, almost apologetic.“Look, I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said, his voice lowered, though not enough to keep me from catching bits and pieces of his words. “There’s just a lot going on, and I’m only trying to protect her.
Roni slid off the bed and casually made her way toward the door. I watched her with raised brows, half-expecting her to ignore my question entirely. But instead of leaving or responding, she cracked the door open just slightly, peering through the small gap like some kind of spy. She lingered for a few seconds, then shut the door just as quickly and turned back toward me.“And then?” I prompted, confused by her odd behaviour.“I just needed to make sure Dad or Russo wasn’t lurking around. If they catch us talking about this, we’ll be in trouble,” she explained before walking back to the bed and flopping down beside me. This time, she scooted closer, lowering her voice as if what she was about to say was top secret.“Maya is his… complicated person,” she whispered dramatically.I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”She sighed heavily as if she were annoyed that I wasn’t instantly catching on.“Okay, so you know how Bash is my complicated person?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
He stood at the door for what felt like an eternity, while my heart hammered in my chest. My eyes were wide open, unable to look away, trapped in the awkwardness of the moment as everything around me seemed to hold its breath."I was thinking we could watch a movie or something?" he suggested, his eyes darting between Roni and me, clearly trying to defuse the awkwardness.I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Sure, at the movie theater or here?” Roni asked, her voice light, though I could sense the underlying curiosity.“Here is fine. Let’s just plug in the drives and check for something we could watch, or we could stream something,” he suggested casually as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.“Okay, we’ll be right there,” Roni replied, her tone bright and eager.I, on the other hand, stayed silent, my mind racing. I could feel the weight of the moment—already skating on thin ice with my father, I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more tension tonight.He nodded and closed
“I will be back. Let me sort out something.” I said before I quickly left the living room and hurried to my bedroom. I tried to press on his profile but I still could not see anything because it was a private account. You’re probably messing with me.I typed back as I pinched my screen to zoom into the profile picture to get a better look at him. Now, why would I lie to you?I did not know he was searching for me. I thought he decided that I was his ex’s younger sister and therefore, knew that I was off limits. I tapped back on the profile and this time I could finally see content. He had accepted my follow request and followed me back. I pressed on his most recent posts and there he was, the same face I saw from the dinner that night. I found myself practically drooling all over the screen and thinking about how gorgeous his face was. I see I have got a stalker. Another message from him popped up. I wondered what he meant by that until I looked down and saw that I may have lik
“Where is Roni with the shoes?!” I yelled at my mother as I paced around the room frantically. “Okay, okay… You need to calm down, young lady,” she spoke in a much calmer tone than mine as she held my shoulders. I stood still and looked at my mother’s light blue eyes. Her blue eyes soothed me. From when I was a little girl and I used to be afraid of anything. She would hold me, sing to me, and I would stare at her hypnotising light blue eyes until they soothed me. At that moment, with all the panic and frustration that was coursing through my veins, her light blue eyes calmed me. They soothed me. It was as if they sucked and drained all the stress, tension and panic out of me. “Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay. We are all here for you. We are supporting you. Your whole family is in there, waiting to see you walk down the aisle. Roni will get here with your shoes, and everything will be okay. Just breathe.” she said calmly. I took in deep breaths, t
“Uhhh…” the officiant froze in place. All of us froze. We did not understand what had just happened. I looked over at my father, and he seemed as puzzled as I was. I shrugged and then turned my head to Christopher's mother. She was as astonished as the rest of us. I turned around and also walked down the aisle. I tried to hurry down the long aisle as I held the ends of my dress, trying not to trip over it. I opened the doors and looked around. There was no sight of him. “Is he gone?” Roni asked as she came running to the back. I tried to walk on further as I heard the sound of Roni’s high heels clicking on the ground as she also ran. “TORI!” I turned around and saw my mother yelling for meI waved her off and continued to run. “CHRIS!” I called out, “CHRISTOPHER!” I knew he wouldn’t have gotten that far. If he was running or walking, he should have still been somewhere. I gave up and stopped running. I bent over as I huffed and puffed in search of oxygen. Roni finally caught u
We reached home with awkward tension filling the car. Mom and Roni awkwardly sat in their seats, hoping the distance would suddenly shrink. I was not even gobsmacked by what my father had said. I was never his favourite child to begin with. I did not even flinch at what he said compared to my mother, who reached out to him and held his thigh while Roni gasped. Once we reached home, I quickly climbed out of the car and headed straight for my bedroom. I ripped myself out of the wedding dress, kicked off my high heels, pulled out the uncomfortable and sharp pins in my hair and grabbed a wet cloth and wiped away the makeup on my face roughly. “Knock, knock” Roni knocked on the door and then twisted the handle. She had already jumped out of the bridesmaid dress and high heels too, but she still had her hair all tied up and makeup on. “Tori, I am really sorry.” she sighed as she walked up to me.I just kept quiet. I was not crying or upset or anything. I was just quiet. “I am really, r
I stood at their bedroom door, completely astonished at what I had just heard from the other side of the door. The house telephone began to ring again. “Elijah, I thought we agreed that we would not talk about this again.” My mother said, sounding so disappointed and upset with her husband. As I continued to stand there, completely taken aback, their bedroom swung wide open. It was my mother coming out of the bedroom, looking furious and upset. She had tears rolling down her cheeks from anger. “Can you not hear the phone ringing?” she asked me as soon as she saw me standing at the door. She headed straight for the phone and answered it while my father remained in the bedroom, sitting on the bed. “How long have you been standing there?” he hissed at me “Long enough to know I should have been married ages ago, or us suddenly being broke or Mom getting sick once again,” I replied, then walked away. “...No, no. She is not here.” Mom replied to whoever she was talking with on the p
“I will be back. Let me sort out something.” I said before I quickly left the living room and hurried to my bedroom. I tried to press on his profile but I still could not see anything because it was a private account. You’re probably messing with me.I typed back as I pinched my screen to zoom into the profile picture to get a better look at him. Now, why would I lie to you?I did not know he was searching for me. I thought he decided that I was his ex’s younger sister and therefore, knew that I was off limits. I tapped back on the profile and this time I could finally see content. He had accepted my follow request and followed me back. I pressed on his most recent posts and there he was, the same face I saw from the dinner that night. I found myself practically drooling all over the screen and thinking about how gorgeous his face was. I see I have got a stalker. Another message from him popped up. I wondered what he meant by that until I looked down and saw that I may have lik
He stood at the door for what felt like an eternity, while my heart hammered in my chest. My eyes were wide open, unable to look away, trapped in the awkwardness of the moment as everything around me seemed to hold its breath."I was thinking we could watch a movie or something?" he suggested, his eyes darting between Roni and me, clearly trying to defuse the awkwardness.I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Sure, at the movie theater or here?” Roni asked, her voice light, though I could sense the underlying curiosity.“Here is fine. Let’s just plug in the drives and check for something we could watch, or we could stream something,” he suggested casually as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.“Okay, we’ll be right there,” Roni replied, her tone bright and eager.I, on the other hand, stayed silent, my mind racing. I could feel the weight of the moment—already skating on thin ice with my father, I wasn’t sure if I could handle any more tension tonight.He nodded and closed
Roni slid off the bed and casually made her way toward the door. I watched her with raised brows, half-expecting her to ignore my question entirely. But instead of leaving or responding, she cracked the door open just slightly, peering through the small gap like some kind of spy. She lingered for a few seconds, then shut the door just as quickly and turned back toward me.“And then?” I prompted, confused by her odd behaviour.“I just needed to make sure Dad or Russo wasn’t lurking around. If they catch us talking about this, we’ll be in trouble,” she explained before walking back to the bed and flopping down beside me. This time, she scooted closer, lowering her voice as if what she was about to say was top secret.“Maya is his… complicated person,” she whispered dramatically.I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”She sighed heavily as if she were annoyed that I wasn’t instantly catching on.“Okay, so you know how Bash is my complicated person?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
I was eager to uncover the truth about what had transpired between my sister and Russo, but before I could even voice my question, he suddenly appeared. His expression shifted the moment he laid eyes on my father—stunned, almost disbelieving.My father, seemingly caught off guard, parted his lips as if to say something but hesitated. “Oh—” was all that escaped him.An uneasy silence settled between us, thick with unspoken words and unanswered questions.“Anyway,” Russo finally spoke, his tone flat but firm. “I came to let you know that I’m heading back home. Maya called—there’s something I need to take care of over there.”My father, who had been sitting in contemplation, immediately rose to his feet and took a step closer to Russo. His expression was softer now, almost apologetic.“Look, I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said, his voice lowered, though not enough to keep me from catching bits and pieces of his words. “There’s just a lot going on, and I’m only trying to protect her.
"Uhmm..." I stammered, struggling to come up with a lie quickly.I could tell she had already caught me red-handed, reading through her journal.I slowly turned around and saw Roni’s expression—more than disappointed, it was a mix of frustration and disbelief. “Were you reading my journal? My personal journal?” she asked, her voice laced with disappointment.“Uhm…” I stammered, struggling to come up with a lie fast enough. “Tori…” she sighed.“Look, I’m sorry,” I stammered, trying to come up with something that sounded believable. “I was just passing by and saw it open. I wanted to close it so I wouldn’t accidentally read it, and then you came in when I was about to do that.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but I had to say something.She gave me a look, one that said she knew I wasn’t being completely honest. Her gaze was sharp like she could see right through the half-truths I’d just told her. “But it seemed like you were reading through it,” she pointed out, her tone laced with skept
"Victoria, what are you doing here?" My father asked, his voice laced with anger.I remained frozen, shocked into silence. I was too afraid to respond, not knowing if he'd just ask a rhetorical question or if he truly wanted an answer.“Victoria?” he repeated, his voice now calmer, though there was still a sharp edge to it. Oh, so he actually wanted an answer this time?He realized that being angry with everyone wouldn't help him get the answers he needed."I was drinking a cup of tea when I overheard you having a personal conversation with Alessandro - Mr. Russo. I thought it would be rude to walk by in the middle of it," I explained, though some of it was not entirely true.He sighed, dismissing me with a wave, before turning and walking back to the living room.I waited, hoping he would return and pick up where we left off last night, but he didn’t. Just as I started to think I might be in the clear, I heard his footsteps coming back toward the kitchen.“Finish your tea, go shower
I woke up much later than usual the next morning, the weight of sleep still clinging to my body as I slowly sat up. The room was quiet, the faint scent of lavender lingering in the air—a familiar trace of Roni. Glancing over, I realized she was already gone. The neatly folded pyjamas on the small chair in the corner confirmed it; she had woken up early, tidied up after herself, and probably gone about her morning without disturbing me.Of course, she had already showered too. That was just like Roni—always efficient, always put together. She had always been that kid—the one who wanted to impress the parents by being the perfect daughter. She’d wake up at the crack of dawn, get out of bed on time without anyone needing to call her and move through the house like a well-rehearsed routine. By the time the rest of us stumbled out of bed, she had already prepared breakfast, set the table, and even started cleaning, as if proving her worth with every chore she completed.And after she got
“What in God’s name is happening out here?” my father questioned, clearly baffled and annoyed. His voice was sharp, the irritation in his tone unmistakable as he looked from Russo to me and back again.It was the worst way to be caught. My hands were still on Russo’s bare chest, and he was only in his towel while I stood there in my skimpy pyjamas. The dimly lit corridor felt suffocating as I tried to pull my hands away, but it was too late. My father’s glare felt like it could burn right through us. I could barely breathe, knowing I was standing there like this with no explanation to offer. My heart pounded in my chest, and every nerve in my body screamed for me to run and hide, but I was frozen in place, unsure of how to make this nightmare stop.“Uhmm…” I started, my mind racing for something, anything, to say. But nothing came.“Victoria, what the hell is going on out here?” my father asked again, his voice rising, now laced with frustration and confusion. His eyes flicked between
“Actually, you wanted to talk. What was it that you wanted to say to me?” I asked, trying to bring us back to the moment before everything got tangled up.“Uhmm…” he stammered, clearly not focused, his mind still reeling from the tension in the air.He turned away, facing the wall as he shoved his hand in his pants, clearly trying to adjust the situation. After a few moments, he turned back to face me, the bulge now less visible, though his flushed face told the story of how much he was trying to regain composure.“I forgot,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, not sure if I believed him.“Yeah, I’m sorry. I lost focus once I saw you like that.” He sighed again, his gaze drifting.“It’s okay,” I nodded, trying to brush it off.“Tori!” I heard Roni’s voice calling from outside her bedroom, interrupting the moment.I slowly walked away from Russo, the weight of the moment still hanging in the air. As I left the room, I found Roni sta