The night before

Chapter 16

Lia pov

I got back from Daniel's house later that evening, I needed home..even if home doesn't want me.

Mom and Mr. Carter weren't back yet , their flight was suppose to land by evening, company thing, some big project launch tomorrow a corporate showcase, mom’s words fancier, same as hell.

When I came in, the house was dark except the living room, Rubben was on the couch, hoodie up, face buried on his phone the light on his jaw, on the scar near his left eye, he didn’t look up when I dropped my bag,he only muttered hi, that was it....that was all he said.

Fine I thought, if that's how he wanted it fine I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge mom would be tired later, she always was after flights, I could cook, at least I wasn’t useless.

I made pasta, simple garlic, oil, chilli the way he used to eat it at 2 and when we were...... stop. I shook my head, and set the table.

He walked in when the water was boiling , still no words he just stood there leaned on the counter watching me.

His arms were crossed.

"You're back, " he said, our parents land soon, that was flat and plain , he grabbed an apple, bit it and left.

I thought about it for a second, I didn't see mara when I walked in.

Her usual behavior to be all over him, but she wasn't there ......She might have left anyways but I couldn't clearly catch what was going on.

.........

Later that evening

I put the food down when they walked in, mom dropped her bags, “God, that smells like home,” she said and hugged me, she smelled like airports and perfume, “You cooked,”

“You’ll be tired,” I said, I shrug “Figured I’d help,”

Mr. Carter kissed my head, “Thank you, sweetheart,” he sat, Rubben came back, sat far, same seat as always, end of the table, away,

We ate, mom talked about Paris, the meetings, the project, green energy, something with solar, I didn’t listen, I watched Rubben push food around, he didn’t eat, he never did when his mind was somewhere else,

“Showcase is tomorrow,” mom said, “Carter Green launch, The Green tech Groupon's sending a rep, we need to look united,”

Rubben’s fork stopped, one second, his expression changed when mom made mentioned of the Green Tech Groupon. , I saw it, no one else did , his looked downwards, trying to stay calm.

“You’ll be there,” she said to me, “I had a dress sent, red, you’ll love it,”

Red, my stomach dropped, I nodded, “Okay,”

After dinner, mom pulled me to the couch, “How was your trip,” I asked, to be nice, to be a daughter.

“Exhausting,” she said, “But good, your father and I, we talked,” she smiled, real, tired, happy, “Twenty years and we still, you know,”

I did know, I watched them, the way he held her coat when she wasn’t looking, the way she touched his hand under the table, I wanted that, once, I looked at Rubben, he was by the stairs, listening, not looking.

“I’m glad,” I said, voice small, “You guys, you’re good,”

She held my face, “You’ll have that too, Lia, with the right man,”

Right man, my eyes went to Rubben again, he was gone, no footsteps, just gone, like smoke,

Later, I heard them, Mr. Carter and Rubben, study door cracked, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just, stopped, my hand on the frame,

“You’ve been quiet,” Mr. Carter said, “Since the Marriot file came in,”

“I’m fine,” Rubben said, same flat tone he used on me.

“You’re not,” dad said, you don't keep such to yourself ....... My son gets a video of his mom being murdered and I found out from Intel!

"That's the point," Rubben said. you weren't suppose to know ...you don't get to carry this I do.

“Like hell you can,” dad snapped the chair scraped, “He’s not just a businessman, Rubben, he’s.....you know what he is,”

“I know,” Rubben said so quiet I had to lean in, “That’s why I’m handling it,”

“You don’t hide this from family,” dad said, “You’re my son, blood or not, I protect what’s mine,”

Blood or not son ,Marriot, Harlan pieces I didn’t have yet... my chest hurt, I walked away, didn’t need to hear more, didn’t want to,

I didn’t sleep, by morning the red dress was on my bed, mom’s pick, I stared at it, it was beautiful, dangerous, straps thin, back low, tight at the waist, skirt with a slit up to my thigh, I hated it, but I had to put it on.

I let my hair down, did a light makeup, nothing heavy, I looked in the mirror, I didn’t look like me, I looked like a weapon , like bait good, if I was gonna bleed, I’d make it count.

*Rubben*

She came down the stairs in red, and my whole world stopped, the dress was a crime, back bare, skin I wasn’t allowed to see, legs for days, curves I’d memorized against my will, curves I’d die for and never touch,

Mom said bring her, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, my hands were in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach, so I wouldn’t say take it off, so I wouldn’t say mine, so I wouldn’t do something we’d both regret.

She stopped at the bottom, she waited, eyes on the floor, not me, chest rising fast, nervous, she should be, “Mom asked me to bring you,” I said, my voice came out scraped, like I’d swallowed glass.

She nodded and walked past me, I smelled her, she was clean, soft, her, not perfume, her I followed, like I always did, like I’d never stop, every step was a fight,

The car ride was hell, she didn’t talk, her dress rode up, her thigh, bare, smooth, I gripped the wheel, leather creaked, thought about pulling over, thought about kissing her until that dress was on my floor, thought about a lot of things that’d get me killed,

She looked out the window, I looked at her, only her, the line of her neck, the way her fingers twisted in her lap, scared, she was scared, not of me... of this, of us.

She was forbidden, her mom's beloved, my stepsister. the one thing Harlan Marriot would use to break me, like he broke my mother, he told me, when I was eight, touch what’s not yours and watch it die, he showed me on her my back still had the proof.

At the hall, people stared she was fire, I was smoke, women looked at me gave a seductive smile, I didn’t see them, I saw him first, ....the same guy from that night the doctor, he walked in went straight to her...., hand on her back, low, fingers right above the dip of her spine, possessive.

My vision went white, then red, I wanted his hand off, wanted his teeth on the floor, wanted him to know she wasn’t his, she was never his, I stood by the bar, whiskey, no ice I just watched.

She laughed at something he said, but It sounded fake to me . I knew her real one, it was quiet, it was only for me, once, this wasn’t it, she was doing it for me, she was doing it to hurt me,

Just then Mrs Elizabeth walked in, she looked all lavishing. She was curious of who Lia brought,

She said something to her, loud enough to carry over the music, over the crowd, “mom, meet my boyfriend,” she didn’t look at me when she said it, she looked at him and smiled.

Boyfriend, the word was a bullet, she fired it point blank, she fired it to see me bleed, it worked, blood in my mouth, blood in my head, I put the glass down, didn’t hear it crack, walked Past them ididn’t stop, didn’t look, didn’t breathe. I heard it, I kept walking, because if I stopped, I’d take her, here, in front of everyone, in front of everyone.

I chose blood again, always blood, she chose him, or she chose to hurt me, either way, I lost. I walked away thinking I didn’t care,

I cared enough to let her hate me, cared enough to let her live.