I was played by
1435 Words
The next half-hour of the journey was quiet on my part. I expected anything but the sudden reappearance of Draven. I didn’t know how crazy Emily was about him, but all I hoped was that it was just a small crush, like the ones we have on idols.
Ryan pulled the car into the front yard of the house that belonged to Maxwell Presley and Ivory Presley.
That’s right. My biological father’s house. Over the last five years, I had uncovered a lot of harsh truths and endured pain—a bitter revelation about my childhood that I never imagined.
“Nana! Ivory Nana!” Diana kept shouting from the car. She was a huge fan of my dad.
As soon as Emily opened the door for her, Diana jumped out with her sketchbook and ran towards the front door. When we arrived, Dad and his wife were already there, waiting for us with wide smiles.
“Here’s my Princess!” Dad exclaimed, scooping her into his arms as she squealed with delight.
“Nana Max! I missed you!” She pecked his cheek and attempted to show him her little crayon painting. “It’s for Nana!”
“A sunflower?” His smile widened. “Nana loves sunflowers! Thank you, my sunshine!”
She giggled and hugged her grandpa shyly.
“Hello, Rosé. Welcome back home!” Ivory smiled warmly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I could smell baked cookies and pies on her. She must have come from the kitchen as soon as she heard the engine.
“Let’s get inside first, guys! I’m starving!” Emily announced from behind, making everyone laugh.
“We’re delighted to have such a famous person in our tiny house. Please, come on in, everyone!”
Ivory let me go and opened the door for us. The familiar scent of a household mixed with baked cookies, coffee, and cheese somehow brought me back to the days when I used to do everything from scratch for Draven.
Why am I remembering those unwanted memories?
“Ryan! Freya is coming home as well. Can you call her and see where she is? She wants to meet her elder sister.”
“Okay, Mom!”
Ryan, who was two years younger than me, worked as a software engineer at a prestigious company. I had heard my father delayed starting a family with Ivory because of me. He was searching for me, asking Ivory to hold off on planning her first pregnancy since I was still out there.
However, when he couldn’t find me or my mother, he gave up and moved here to Ivory’s hometown.
Now, I had two half-siblings, Ryan and Freya. Both of them were thriving in their own lives. I was close to Ryan, but Freya and I still hadn’t built the same bond. While we were cordial, there was room for improvement.
“Do you need something?” Ryan asked.
“No. Are you going out?”
“No. Freya messaged me to ask if you needed anything. She’s stopping by the shopping mall.”
“Ah.” I was surprised. “No, just tell her to come home safely.”
In the last five years, Freya and I had only met a few times—on big celebrations or holidays. With our demanding jobs, we hadn’t spent much time together.
“Uncle Ryan! Will Auntie Freya be late? I’m hungry!”
“Hungry?” Ivory responded immediately from the kitchen. “Dia! Come here! I have something delicious for you!”
“Really?” She jumped excitedly.
This girl was really something.
“How long will it take for her to come?” I asked, as it was getting darker.
Emily placed cups of coffee, freshly baked croissants, and hot chocolate on the table.
“About an hour and a half,” Ryan said, staring at her location.
“That’s a lot!” Emily chimed in. “How about we go for some quick shopping? Didn’t you say Diana needed some clothes?”
That was true. Diana was growing up fast. She looked like Dad and Ryan—clearly inherited their eyes and facial structures—but she had her father’s height. She was taller than other kids her age. Her intelligence? It was shocking. Everything about her—her behavior, her talent—was a mirror image of her father.
It was heartbreaking, but I was glad she would know she got those traits from him—his high IQ and perfection.
Leaving Diana to play with Dad and Ivory, we headed out for a quick shopping trip. It was becoming increasingly challenging to manage everything: raising Diana, leading a team of ten coworkers, training new hires, and maintaining the household. It was overwhelming but satisfying.
The world is huge, but when you enter your own nest and find a little soul waiting for you, nothing else matters.
Our shopping trip was brief. We picked up fabrics for Emily, who insisted I design her a dress in exchange for her babysitting Diana.
“Wanna grab a coffee?” Emily asked as she led us to a café. She was in the mood to make it feel like one of our usual mini-dates.
Ryan, as usual, stayed silent, following wherever we went.
“Rosé, Right?"
As we entered the café, someone called my name. At first, I thought it was someone from my company. They were regular and we sometimes hung out together. But when I turned, my blood ran cold.
There he was—Sammy, Evelyn’s boyfriend. Or maybe not anymore. Standing with that evil grin you could see in an anime villain character.
What was he doing here? I wasn’t ready to reopen old wounds. But I couldn't ignore them either.
“Hey! I almost didn’t recognize you!” Sammy approached me, and to my surprise—or not—he wasn’t with Evelyn.
A knot twisted in my stomach. Why did it feel like this peaceful evening was about to be ruined?
“Yeah, I got sexier. Thank you!” I replied sarcastically.
“Well, I can’t deny that. You look way hotter than before,” he smirked.
“Yeah, put on sunglasses, or you’ll get burnt.”
He laughed, but his expression shifted when Ryan stepped behind me.
“You know him?” Ryan asked coldly, his protectiveness evident.
“Yeah, just an old not-so-familiar friend. Not someone to waste time on.” I said, turning to leave.
“Can we talk?” Sammy’s voice rose as if I owed him something.
“Do we have anything to talk about? I won’t ask if you’re still with Evelyn or not. I can see that.”
Sammy rolled his eyes like I had just stabbed him.
“C’mon! Stop being a b***h. We all know the truth,” he said aggressively, catching us off guard.
“What did you just say, you motherf—?” Ryan grabbed his collar. “Wanna mess with us?”
“Ryan! Stop. Don’t waste your breath on him. He’s always been unhinged. He didn’t even mind sharing his women with another man.”
“No wonder,” Emily added.
“You act like a white lotus,” Sammy scoffed, pushing Ryan aside and glaring at me with an uncomfortable gaze.
I didn't know that I had any bad-blood with him. But clearly he was pissed with me for some reasons I was unaware of.
“What do you mean?” I asked, folding my arms firmly. Curiosity was killing me.
“Whatever. Let me give you a taste of your own medicine! Evelyn wasn’t my girlfriend. I was hired by them. And that kid? Evelyn wasn’t pregnant with my child either. Maybe… your husband was—!”
I couldn’t hear the rest of his sentences. All I felt was the air expelling from my lungs, as if someone had punched me.
I thought Draven had a one-sided, unrequited love for Evelyn. No. I was played by everyone. And surprisingly, it hurt. I felt my heart was shattering into new pieces that I took a long time to fix. I thought I was completely unhinged by anything related to Draven. I was wrong. It hurt like hell.
“Scram!” Ryan roared in his face.
Sammy was taken aback by Ryan's aggressiveness. But before he stormed out of the café, he threw the biggest and painful words that shattered the last remaining love or respect I had for my dearest ex-husband.
“Ha! Draven is here… with his sweetheart and beloved son!”
- Writer
