6

He crosses his arms to his back, and his mean words hit me like a whirling wind. “If you want to live in this house, there are certain rules that you must follow. I don’t care if you were the holy terror in your previous house and how they didn’t teach you the basic manners, but here you have to behave!” 

I am left speechless and he remains very close to me, invading my personal space. In a timid little tone, I manage to ask him, “And who are you?” his gaze is stern and I notice the confidence on his face. “Name is Carlos Sinclair. Make sure you remember it.” 

Turning around, he walks away, leaving the door open. I sigh deeply, feeling the tension in the room slowly easing and it is more room for me to breathe. I hurry to the door and when I am pushing it, he arrives back suddenly, making me scared. 

Without a moment of realization, the towel slips off my body, exposing me to his sight. I gasp while his gaze moves throughout my body, exploring the hidden places. Darkness comes to his eyes and his jaw clenching abruptly. I immediately hide behind the door and he clears his throat, without saying anything he just walks away, leaving me in an unpresentable state.

I am dressed in the nightdress, brushing my hair, I am walking toward the bed when the door knocks twice. My breath hitches, my mind taking me to the flashback of the moment when I almost embarrassed myself in front of that man. 

Then the door of the room pushes open and three people enter, my anxiety calms away when I recognize the faces. My brothers step inside, faint smiles covering their faces. “Oh, good. You are still awake -” Jake says to me and I nod, smiling back at him. 

Both Jake and Steve take the sofa chairs while I sit at the edge of the bed and Phil stands, leaning to the dresser, his arms crossed to his chest.

I can sense that they might have something important to discuss with me. The tension on their faces says everything. “Well, Raya. I heard you have met Uncle Carlos already -” Jake speaks and after a slight pause he continues to say, “He is part of this family and very caring… especially with our father.” 

I silently listen to Jake who tells me the basics of the Sinclair family. “Our father suffers from extreme anxiety. When our mother passed away…he went into a severe depression, of course.” the reality hits me like a hurricane. 

My heart sinks when I think how difficult it must be for everyone to see the death of a loved one. Here the thoughts only make my eyes fill with tears. As soon as Jake continues to tell me the death story of our mother, I don’t seem to realize but the tears continue to flow down my eyes. 

My brothers don't face me, instead, their eyes are buried in the floor miserably. 

I can sense the pain in their eyes, Jake’s voice also feels like a painful memory. I can now feel the pain that my father feels every day…what he goes through the entire time. 

Phil lifts his eyes to look at me and he softly says, “Oh, dear. Are you crying?” I snap back from the moment, touching my face unaware of the tears that have rolled down my eyes. Their attention shifts toward me and they get close to me, crouching down. 

The way my brothers lovingly look at me, I feel a sense of warmth wrapping around my heart. “Now that you are here… I am sure you are going to help us get our dad out of that depression.” 

Steve reaches out to touch my cheek, wiping the tears from my face. I nod, speaking in a shaky tone. “I promise-” 

The cute bond that is developing between my brothers and me is rare. I have never felt like this before - no one from that family loved me or even cared for me. 

I complain in a pouty voice, “Uncle Carlos scolded me.” The next moment I hear my brothers burst into laughter, Phil pinches my cheeks lovingly to say, “Don’t mind him. He is a little careful when it comes to our father’s health.” 

I toss and turn, my first night in this house and I am wondering about this place. I am planning to apologize to my father first thing in the morning. I don’t want to cause more trouble for this family. I already know that my parents tolerated me so much because of me. 

I sigh deeply sitting back on the bed, I look around and my eyes land on the window, the bright light from the moon hitting the floor. I move the duvet off my feet, rising on my feet, I make my way out of the room.

I am craving cold water and I slowly climb down the stairs, looking around at the darkness surrounding me. I arrive in the kitchen and notice a shadow of a tall person. I gasp, silently hiding behind the wall. 

After a moment, I gather the courage to confront the person and I slowly peer through the wall, my eyes moving around and I find no one. I step inside the kitchen and a second passes when I feel a strong presence behind me. 

The scent hits my nose and I immediately turn around, preparing to defend myself. I bump into a tall person, his taut stomach touching my soft chest. I feel the pain in my breasts as I have nothing to protect them. I don’t wear a bra while sleeping and now I think this is the worst thing I can do in this house.

What if this man is one of my brothers? 

Another moment passes by and his hand slides onto my waist, pulling me closer. With the soft moonlight peeping through the kitchen window, I can see his face. His sharp gaze is what I cannot forget anytime soon. 

He has these kind of eyes that a person can’t even forget in their dreams. They will haunt you forever.