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Chapter 2

Author: Perfect Timing
"You think you don't owe Charles?

"You owe him your life!"

Charles's mom, Margaret Harris, came at me with her cane, her eyes sharp as daggers.

Before I knew it, her hand cracked across my face.

"If he hadn't been rushing home for your silly birthday party, I wouldn't have lost my son!"

My cheek stung, and my ears rang.

However, that slap did not matter.

What got me was what she had said.

What did she mean Charles had rushed home for my birthday?

I touched my cheek, looking at Emily.

She was wide-eyed, clinging to Charles's arm, hiding behind him like he was some kind of shield.

Charles was all about keeping Emily safe.

Right then, it clicked.

Three years back, Emily was ready to dump Jeffrey because he was off sealing deals abroad instead of celebrating her birthday. She even made that big plan to camp out at the beach with a bunch of guy friends for a whole three-day weekend.

After that, Emily blasted the news all over her socials.

Jeffrey snagged the quickest flight home, and Charles tagged along.

I knew it, Charles knew it, and Emily knew it.

However, somehow, they had pinned the whole mess on me from the get-go.

"Mom, Alicia didn't mean anything by it. If she wanted to bail, she would've done so three years ago.

"She's family. We shouldn't be pointing fingers. We must have each other's backs, and that's what counts."

Charles tried to cool things down.

However, Margaret was still shooting daggers my way.

"She and Charles had only signed the papers. They never had a real wedding. That means she's not truly part of the family, or so everyone says.

"She's nothing but bad luck!

The cruel words echoed in my ears.

I flashed Margaret a bright, defiant smile. "So, I'm bad luck? I don't belong in the Wallace family, right? Fine, I'll leave."

Margaret clutched her chest all of a sudden, pretending to be short of breath.

Charles glared at me, his grip on my hand tight.

"Alicia, Mom's just upset. You're not going to hold it against her, are you?"

Emily stood by Margaret, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Alicia. You can't get mad at Mom like that."

I let go of my hand, showing the angry red marks from where he had grabbed me.

"What am I supposed to do, then? Just stand here and take the insults, wait for her to hit me again?

"Both of you know the truth. Why don't we get it all out in the open now!?"

"Alicia!" Charles yelled, his voice sharp.

I turned to him, my eyes red and watery. He looked back at me, his face flickering with what seemed like genuine care.

For a moment, I was filled with a desperate hope. 'Could Charles have a good reason for all this?'

"Alicia, you know how frail Mom is. Why stir things up? Just apologize, and let's not talk about leaving anymore."

Any warmth I felt in my heart evaporated in an instant.

Was my memory that bad? Could I really have believed a liar would change his ways?

"Apologize?"

I nodded slowly, my voice steady as I said, "Yeah, your mom should apologize to me."
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  • Second in Silence   Chapter 9

    I sent the recording to Emily.I did not bother with what happened next.The last product was a smash hit, constantly selling out.This time, the big shots decided to upgrade it for a different crowd, aiming to serve them even better.I thought I would deal with it once I was done with my work bubble.It was only after I emerged that Olivia filled me in.The Wallace family was in deep trouble.For some reason, Emily had lost it.She mutilated Charles in his sleep and flushed his beyond-saving private parts down the toilet.When Margaret heard that, her health took a nosedive. It was another stroke.She went from bad to worse, then bedridden, her speech slurred and face twisted.Emily, cold to Charles' begging, terminated her pregnancy, cutting off the Wallace family tree.Finally, Olivia's eyes were on me."Look at her, then at yourself. She knew when to cut ties, when to strike back."You're not quite there yet."I lifted my wine glass and took a sip. "Why get my hands

  • Second in Silence   Chapter 8

    On day four at Sunny Bay, an unexpected visitor showed up."Alicia, are you doing okay?" he asked."Don't worry about the mess with the wedding. You can always come home. Don't suffer alone out here without telling anyone," he said.Charles sat down next to me, his face a picture of heartfelt concern.I could not help but grimace and move to another chair.Charles let out a sad chuckle. "Alicia, you don't have to keep avoiding me. I'm not sure when you caught on, or what rumors you've heard, but I'm telling you, there's a reason for everything. I'm willing to explain it all," he said.At that, I took off my glasses and looked at him for the first time in ages.How could anyone have skin that thick?"I made a promise to my little brother to look after Emily for life, and I intend to keep it. Think of it as a debt I owe you, one I'll repay in our next life," he said.I repeated, word for word, what I had once heard Charles say outside the study.Charles's face lost all color, h

  • Second in Silence   Chapter 7

    I had not even opened my mouth when Emily rushed over, clinging to Charles's arm."You're not talking to her," she snapped.Charles gently pried her off, looking annoyed. The love he once had for her was barely flickering."Emily, can you just not?" he said. "I just need to ask her something."This is off-limits, that's off-limits. What next? You're going to keep me on a leash forever, not letting me talk to anyone?"Can't you just grow up?"Emily's eyes welled up. "Before we got married, I was your everything. Now, you're telling me to grow up. How much more fake can you get, Charles?"She spat out his name like it was poison.Charles's face paled.I just stood there, wanting to laugh.Pretending to be someone else had come at a price: he had lost his identity forever.I was done watching their drama and walked away.Olivia had given me a few days off and even booked me a week-long getaway to Sunny Bay.However, on the day I was set to leave, Emily blocked my path.I ste

  • Second in Silence   Chapter 6

    Sure, other people's misfortunes could be funny.However, my future was what mattered most, and I threw myself into my work heart and soul.In just a couple of months, the project I was working on showed real promise.Olivia waved her hand, signaling me to go all in.She was banking on my project as the next big thing for the upcoming quarter."You have that much faith in me?"Olivia acted like it was the most obvious thing in the world."Do I even have to say it? If I don't trust you, who else should I trust?"Just remember, success is the only option. Failure is not on the table."A month later.We were deep into the experimental phase.All the data was in, and it was clear: our product was a cut above the rest in the skincare game.Olivia was over the moon, sure we had a winner on our hands.Seeing her so pumped made me feel the buzz, too.I had settled into that new life.Every day was packed with activities I loved, and it was awesome.The whole Wallace family dram

  • Second in Silence   Chapter 5

    Charles was in disbelief. His eyes flashed with fury as if he wanted to leap off the stage and devour me whole.However, before he could act, Emily clung to him."What do we do now? The wedding's a disaster!"I ended the call with a click and walked away, unfazed by the many curious eyes that followed me. My three years with the Wallaces had steeled my nerves.I left the wedding behind and made a beeline for the airport, sending a quick thank-you text to a certain someone along the way.The reply on my phone popped up in no time.[Don't worry about it, but the Wallaces might come after you for this. You should probably skip town for a while.]I took the advice to heart.[Got it. I'm all set.]The guy on the other end? He was the one who grilled Charles in the Wallace family's study.He was Charles's friend, and I was the one who saved his sister's life.Thanks to that connection, when I knocked on his door, hoping against hope for a favor, he had said yes right off the bat.

  • Second in Silence   Chapter 4

    "There's nothing," he replied."Alicia, has someone been talking to you? Did they lead you to a misunderstanding?"Charles kept his cool, but his right hand drifted to his leg, a dead giveaway that he was fibbing. He probably did not even notice he did it every time he lied.The weight that had been crushing my heart finally hit the ground with a thud."What's going on here?"Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes darting between Charles and me, full of suspicion. The sight of the perfume in Charles's grip made her face go pale.Charles stepped closer and murmured an explanation.Realization dawned on Emily, and she sheepishly grabbed my hand, her voice tinged with guilt as she said, "Alicia, I'm so sorry, okay? When Jeff and I got engaged, if Mom had known it was because of me, she'd never have let us get married!"I'd rather die than not marry Jeff!"Charles clamped a hand over Emily's mouth, hissing, "Don't even joke about that!"I watched them, biting back a qu

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