What Other Secrets?

Chapter nine... Really...

Lada looked away in response, her ears turning red as a blush she tried to fight creeped up her neck.

Earn noticed her Lover turning red and was lost, until she heard the muttering under her breath

"I was getting so busy with everything and it has getting harder, seeing you and not being able to have you. And the longer I went, the harder it got"

Lada was fully red at this point. There was a beat of silence as she looked away, then for the first time this night, she heard laughter. She turned her head to Earn and watched the actress with a red nose and puffy eyes from crying, erupt into fits of laughter. She was giggling and threw her head back.

Lada smiled with the warmth that was filling her heart, -oh how she'd missed that laugh- she very much preferred it to the tears.

Earn pinched Lada's cheeks and looked at the doctor, humor still dancing beneath her eyes. She felt the lightest she'd had in weeks. She was happy knowing that the doctor still loved her and wasn't trying to hurt her intentionally... her laughter died down and she realized they weren't done.

"P'mor, how do you have a twin and why didnt you ever tell me? and is everything she said true?" Her hand once pinching the doctors cheeks, fell to her side, still straddling the doctor, but putting a distance between them as she addressed the second and possibly bigger elephant in the room. Her last question was more silent than the others, as if she feared that the most.

Lada's eyes flashed with hurt as the memory of the night that had already begun to fade in Earn's warmth, came rushing back. Her heart clenched as the sight of a battered Tawan came to the front of her mind. She sighed heavily and swallowed, repeating it a few times. Earn placed her hand on her shoulder, urging her on.

"Uhm... as you know, I'm Fahlada Thananusak, the first child and daughter of my parents. What you just found out, is that I have a younger sister, a twin sister that I beat to this world with just 75 seconds." Her words held a nostalgic tone.

"When my mom got pregnant, they didn't have a clinic yet, talk more of a hospital, they didn't have money yet, so it was the best they could afford that they got, they didn't know that she was pregnant with twins, everyone thought it was a one off, my mom had always wanted just one child, so they planned for one child. Until the 7th month that they found out it was officially going to be a twin pregnancy, a high risk one. They had ventured into their business and only had time for one child, their clinical hospital was going well financially, but it required time, time they couldn't give to two kids. From when the doctor declared I was first, they started the grooming with me to take over for whenever they decided to retire. Whether I showed Interest or not, I had to show up and be the perfect heiress, Tawan struggled more and had no interest, to my parents, they already had me, so why bother with another. We were close growing up, we weren't allowed to play as kids our age would, and while she could stay home and do whatever she pleased, I'd be left in the office sitting beside my mom into the dead of the night, studying on things that I wouldn't need for years, but it didn't matter to them, as long as I was smart. We played chess, spoke about our friends -we had the same friends-, spoke about our dreams, we even went on a few adventures together. We still are close, or we were... she was my mirror with a freedom I never had and somehow we shared the same burdens. She and Ira went to school together, so they met, and I got introduced to Ira... she became another little sister to me. I hadn't seen them in close to 6 years. Because of Tawan's job, and her wish to be far away from our parents, a luxury I couldn't afford" she gave a dry chuckle "and then Ira's career took off around 2 years ago and Tawan accompanied her around, so we'd been busy.

I never told Tawan about you and us now, because she knew about us when we were in Italy and you broke up with me spontaneously, claiming you had someone else, and she doesn't really forgive easily, she was pissed and told me and i quote, 'if i ever see her Lada, I'll make sure she'll never walk out of anywhere again.'... " Earn grimaced at the threat and realized that as a bodyguard, she probably had the capability and knowledge to break her legs. Lada continued slowly

"So I thought it'd be easier to mention it to her face to face, probably gently, she can be intimidating, especially when it comes to me. but then I kept panicking and giving lame excuses on why I could tell her another time instead. I knew if I explained the reason, she'd be calmer, but I couldn't predict if she would have been mad that you listened to my mom, or understanding. I wanted to wean you into her life and vice versa..., so she does know you, she just doesn't know that it's you" Lada paused, gauging Earn's reaction. She opened her mouth to speak but Lada cut her off

"Sweetheart, before you ask, I know you, and I knew if I'd mentioned this a couple months back, you'd have wanted me to rush it, and it was too delicate, and I already felt bad that I hadn't mentioned it a long time ago and I just kept telling myself I was doing the right thing for everyone involved"

"P'mor, why'd you tell me you were an only child then?" Earn asked in a whiny voice, she had a better understanding of everything and couldnt deny that she was enjoying her place on the doctors thighs.

"I never told you I was an only child, I only said, 'I felt like an only child', to which you replied 'yeah' and proceeded to tell me more about how your life as an only child was and I could relate to them' Lada said.

Earn's realization came slowly, then it dawned on her that P'mor had never actually confirmed or denied being an only child, just that in her reserved way, hadn't mentioned it because it never came up. She rested her head on the doctor's shoulder in a resigned matter.

"Still, You should have invited her to the wedding at least." Earn's voice came out, muffled by the doctor's shoulder.

"I did teerak, i just never mentioned who i was marrying, I invited them both through my mom, we had been busy with planning and I mentioned it to my mom after I'd lost my phone the previous day at the hospital's doctors lounge, I'd told her to invite Tawan and Ira over and she said she'd handle it. By the time I got my phone, she said she'd gotten through to them but that they were too cramped up with work to come and that they couldn't reach out to me yet. I believed her and let it be. After the wedding, at the airport on the way to our honeymoon, you had gone to get us food when Tawan called me. I asked her where was my congratulations, and she said she didn't think I'd want one for taking over the hospital... I knew my twin well enough to know she had no clue and my mom hadn't bothered to reach out." She saw Earn's questioning eyes and said "I had a good idea why and confirmed it when we got back, but I couldn't bring myself to tell Tawan, and that's when the thoughts of how she'd take it crept in and it all got so... so complicated."

Earn let out a breath she didn't even know she had begun holding. Although, she and Lada's mom, Russamee, had a better relationship -more stable- being the word, she didn't understand why the woman always seemed to enjoy making things difficult. Lada sensing where her thoughts were going said "hey, it's okay... Tawan and I will probably work things out, she should know that I'd never want to erase her. We both acted out of rage, and where I should have been calmer, my emotions flared"

she still felt bad for how badly she had laid hands on her sister, but she wanted Earn to feel better.

"One more thing P'mor" Earn said with a mischievous glint in her eye

The unaware doctor hummed in response, ready to answer anything honestly

"Was what she said true? About your reputation with women, and apartments, flings..." she let her words trail off as she spoke, watching Lada gulp as she gently pushed her back till she met the bed and Earn still straddling her lying form, leaned down and hovered above her.

Lada was trapped. She couldn't escape this particular question that she'd hoped the actress had forgotten about. The look on her face when she realized she was wrong couldn't be drawn.

"Well? P'mor?... I'm waiting..." Earn teased. That mysterious glint still apparent in her eyes, but her face showed her waiting for the question.

"N-... Not all of it..." Lada gulped, tumbling over her words slightly. "It was never that bad, I had a few casual flings in a couple apartments in tow-"

" 'a couple'?" Earn asked

" a few... I mean a few apartments..." She breathed, "I was never really the dating type so I just... released pent up stress?... once every couple months..." Lada finished.

"Is that all there is?"

"Yes..."

"Anyone I know?" Earn's question made Lada's eyes widen... she wanted to say no but she knew with her reputation, there was a chance, so instead, she went with

"Maybe..."

Earn stared at her a second longer and asked

"Anyone you still work with?"

"Not closely work with..."

Earns eyes were slits at the statement "what does that mean P'mor, do you work with you ex?"

" not... not really Ex... it was purely physical and fu-"

"If you know you still want to be married by morning, do NOT finish that statement" Earn warned, shutting Lada up quicker than any other method could have.