CHAPTER 7: Whispers of Vengeance; the revelation.

HARRIET

 'NO, NO!! NO!!!!' She screamed as her body fell down the cliff...uhm, bed. Bed??

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around her, feeling immediately relieved to find herself in her room and on the floor. She would rather be on the floor a million times than be thrown down a mysterious cliff.

Struggling for breath, she crawled desperately to her bed, searching for a secret lock at the side of the mahogany in search of her drugs.

It was a tough battle before she was finally able to access the lock, opened it and shakily retrieved the drug.

She removed the lid and hurriedly forced several pills down her throat, collapsing back on the floor afterwards. 

Moments after she became better, she helped herself up and returned the drug to it's initial position. She sat up on her bed and pushed her hair back in frustration. Tears ran down her cheeks as she recounted her near death experience. 

   It's been twenty two years since then. Why wouldn't Paige's soul rest and let her be already? Wasn't the yearly nightmares that turned her to a drug addict enough to pay for her crimes of the past? 

She wiped her tears as she reminded herself one more time that it was just a dream. Paige's dead and so was her offspring, no one's going to know what happened 22 years ago. She was certain about that. She wouldn't let a single soul find out what she did to her bestfriend.

The knocking on her room door interrupted her thoughts and made her ran to her vanity with immediate alacrity.

  Harriet wiped her tear stained face with a wipe and covered it up with some makeup. She brushed her brunette hair and hold it up in a bun. After examining and ascertaining her outfit wasn't in ruins, she walked to the door and opened it.

   'Mum, I've been knocking since forever. Were you sleeping?' Imogen said as she stride in Harriet's room.

  'Imogen? What about the business meeting?' Harriet asked as she walked to her daughter who went to sit on the big couch in her room. 

  'Ah, forget about that. Something big came up,' Imogen said with a nonchalant wave of the hand. Before Harriet could ask what it was, Imogen added. 'Apparently, some woman who looked exactly like Dad's first wife showed up at the canal.' 

Harriet's eyes widened and her heart sank deeper within her on hearing this. Her knees went numb and she fell buckled, on the floor. Imogen raced to her immediately.

   'Mum!' She bent beside her and made to help her sit up.

   'I'm fine, Imogen. You didn't need worry. I only slipped because I'd just woken from sleep and I'm not so conscious yet.' She lied. 

No matter what, Harriet refused to appear weak before her daughter. If she did, how were her kids supposed to cope or stay strong on their own? They were looking up to her.

   'You don't seem fine to me Mom,' Imogen said as she touched her forehead. 'Just wait here, I'll get Doctor Greg immediately.' She stood up hurriedly with the intention of going to bring the family's doctor over but Harriet asked a question that made her turn back to her.

   'Imogen, where's your father?' 

She paused for a while, a bit confused about his location.

  'Uhh, I don't know. He probably went out for a meeting.' She said. 'Don't worry Mum, I'll get Doctor Greg now.' She added as she opened the door.

   'Send Ashton here on your way.' Harriet said.

   'Okay Mum.' Imogen walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Alone once again, Harriet stood up from the floor and began pacing up and down the palatial room that was hers; yet she's never had peace all the years she'd been here.

What is this about? Where's Jamie at the moment? Did Paige reincarnated or what? Has she returned to end my life like she promised? Is Jamie aware of this recent occurrence? What do I need to do to end this? Do I have to use that method again?

All this thoughts and more went through her head as she panicked. But she knew she needed to find out the identity of this person first before she does anything.

AIMEE

   She ran her hand over the old photo and smiled sadly. It was a photo she had taken with Paige decades ago, when they were still in highschool. This very farmhouse used to be Aimee's family home before her family relocated to Australia. Well, her parents were simple farmers in the past. Although after some years, they expanded in several businesses in other countries.

   A lot has changed since the last time she was in Birmingham for Paige's wedding ceremony.

  She inhaled sharply when she heard the footsteps on the pavement and soon the door opened and she listened, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

   'Seems like our kidnapper is wealthy. I'm glad I don't get to suffer.' 

Aimee smiled secretly on hearing Skylar's words.

   'WTH! Mason?!' Her heart squeezed within her when she heard her daughter's voice. The child she's grown so attached to immediately she had her in her arms 22 years ago.

   'My apologies, Miss.' Mason her personal guard, apologized.

   'Woah!' Skylar chuckled. 'Am I supposed to feel relieved now or to feel the opposite?' She said. Aimee removed her gaze from the frame on the wall as she said.

   'I guess the answer would be the former.' 

She turned around to face the girls whose eyes bulge out immediately from surprise.

   'Aunt Aimee?'

   'Mom?!' 

They both gasped.

   'Hello girls,' she smiled at them. 'You missed me, did you not?' 

   'Mom.' Scarlett ran to her immediately, hugging her so tight like her life depended on it. 'I'm so glad you're here. There was some strange people at the canal. They said strange things to me and acted really weird. And then...and then...there's this dead woman who had such a striking resemblance to me. I was so scared.' She cried as she tried to tell Aimee everything in one moment. 

   Aimee felt a lump on her throat and tears clouded her eyes as she gently patted Scarlett's back. 

Here was the moment... She thought.

   'It's okay baby, I'm here now.' She kissed Scarlett's hair with a teary smile.

   'Can I get a hug here? I was damn scared too you know.' 

Aimee and Scarlett raised their heads to Skylar and they laughed over her words.

  'Sure honey. Come here.' Aimee spread her arms wide and Sky ran to her.

  'Now, that's even better.' She smiled, snuggling in the warmth of their embrace.

   Some moments after they were all seated on the sofa, Scarlett suddenly asked the question that Aimee have been expecting for a long time now.

   'What are you doing here Mom? How did you know about this? Have you been here for a while? Wait, don't tell me you secretly came all the way here because you were worried I wouldn't be fine without you?' 

Aimee smiled at her words.

   'Actually, my flight landed barely an hour ago. I came all the way here because it was necessary I do at the moment as it's time you know everything I've been keeping a secret from you all these years.' She said and as she expected, the girls stared at her in confusion.

   'Mom, what's that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?' An apprehensive Scarlett asked as she sat upright and stared intently at her Mother.

   'Gosh! This is hard.'

Aimee said when she felt tears clouding her eyes again. It was time she let everything out and there wasn't any way of escape from this weight on her shoulders. It was better she let Scarlett know now herself than letting another person; obviously a stranger, break this news to her. 

   She would have tell this to Scarlett privately and not in the presence of Skylar, but she's family and was already in the mess with Scarlett to be kept in the dark.

   'Mom!' 

Her hands squeezed the folds of her dress as she raised her hazel eyes to Scarlett's searching one.

   'Baby I'm so sorry I...I...' She broke down in tears immediately and the girls ran to her.

   'Mom?! What's going on? Why are you crying? You're making us panic. You're making me scared.' Scarlett cried beside her, grabbing her hands.

   'Aunt Aimee, please tell us what the heck is going on.' Skylar said as she gave Mason a questioningly look. 

He shrugged and looked away. Sky felt like giving him an intense knock on his shiny head for being useless or rather uncooperative in a critical time like this. She turned her gaze back to Aimee only to find her crying intensely. Her heart sank and she feared the worst. She's never seen her in such a situation before. Skylar's heart went out for her friend. Scarlett would definitely be shattered by this news from the look of things.

   'Scarlett, I'm not your biological mother!' Aimee finally dropped the bombshell.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment and Scarlett felt like she was in another universe. The words however unbelievable they may sound, strike a cord within her and she literally collapsed against the hard floor as the words repeated in her head, slowing but forcefully, sinking in.