Chapter 4: Love-Hate Relationship
932 Words
I entered the family house, my chest moving rapidly as I wondered why my aunt, uncle and grandmother suddenly wanted to see me.
Since we parted ways this morning, Erick had been ignoring my calls. I tried calling Lydia, but she did not answer any of my calls, neither did she call me back.
I had been pacing my living room, tearing my hair out for making the mistake I made, when my phone rang. I ran to pick up the phone, believing it was either Erick or Lydia. My face fell when I saw it was my grandmother. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone.
“Come home now!”
That was all she said. I knew I had been summoned.
I was pretty sure the whole family knew of my betrayal. I loved my family a lot and I didn't want to ever feel their scorn or disappointment.
The butler showed me to the garden like I didn't know my way. I almost wanted to take up my recently forsaken habit of chewing my nails whenever I was anxious the moment I saw all of them waiting for me in the garden.
“Sit down!” Grandmother ordered. I did as told, and they all sat down after me.
I waited for the ax to fall on my head as they all looked at me.
“You have been absent from the foundation for some days now. Do you care to tell us why?” My grandmother asked me, her hawk-like eyes on me, watching my every movement.
Her question was not what I had been expecting, so I failed to come up with an answer.
“She is heartbroken and distraught by her ex's betrayal,” Aunt Lucia answered in a mocking tone.
“Lucia, keep quiet.” Uncle Lucas reproached her with a steely stare.
“Oh, come on! It's the truth.”
“Keep quiet, Lucia. I wasn't talking to you.” Grandmother's eyes never left mine.
My grandmother never liked it whenever we neglected our duties, much less for stupid reasons.
“I am sorry for neglecting my duties at the foundation and I–”
She interjected with a firm shake of her head.
“I did not ask you for an apology, child. I asked you why you abandoned your duties at the foundation? Was it really because that good-for-nothing bastard cheated on you?” She yelled.
Aunt Lucia flinched while I bent my head down, unable to look her in the eyes.
“I raised you to be bold and confident. Of all the men in the world, you decided to bring that bastard into our lives. Before him was another lowlife who wanted to r**e your cousin. Why can't you be like your cousin? The first man she would bring to our house is one of prestige, class and great wealth. Aren't you tired of shaming us?”
Her words were like pins being pushed into my fragile heart. I knew I couldn't be compared to Lydia. I wasn't as beautiful, talented, smart, and charming. Still, I just wanted them to love me as much as I did them because, despite their words, I still loved them.
“If you can't be like your cousin, shouldn't you at least be like your mother?” Grandmother yelled. In anger, she rounded the table with the intention of hitting me, but her hand was stopped by my uncle.
“That is enough, Bella. I'll be taking Ari away now.”
He pulled me from my seat and walked me into the house, ignoring my grandmother's demands to stop. He took me to the piano room and sat me on the bench. He didn't say a word as he began to play a tune I knew like the back of my hand.
“You know you want to join me,” he sang, and I joined him because he was right. Playing the piano was therapy for me.
Uncle Lucas saw me. He knew me. He was my friend. My ally.
We sat together, playing the soft tune in tandem. When we were done, he placed his hand around me.
“She hates me.”
“I think she loves you very much.”
I scoffed, “She doesn't treat Lydia this way.”
“You are not Lydia, Ari. You are you. You are beautiful, kind, sweet, soft, loving, and you put others before yourself. Trust me, your grandmother sees that, and she is afraid you will be taken advantage of.”
“Like Mark did?” I asked dejectedly, my fingers lightly roaming the keys of the piano
At my mention of Mark, his tone hardened, “That guy is not worth a single one of your tears.”
“You all saw him for the scum he was, and I didn't.”
“Just because you didn't see his true colors doesn't make you stupid. You were just in the euphoria of love. Nobody can judge you by that. ”
Uncle Lucas knew the right words to say to me that would make me feel better whenever I was moping. He was my best friend. He was busy wiping my tears away when we heard my aunt scream his name from behind closed doors.
The door burst open, and my aunt dashed in sobbing.
“Lucia, what's wrong? What happened to Bella?” My uncle stood up and rushed to her side.
“It’s not mother. It's Lydia. She was involved in an accident, and she is dying.”
My heart went cold.
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