Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: Life Time Secrets Laid Bare

Layla's POV

*FLASHBACK*

“Daisy! Hold on!” I was out of breath as I heaved on the rocky path leading to the cliff where Daisy was suspended, dangling dangerously over the deep and steep valley covered with thick and dense foliage.

The sweat from the hot sun baked my skin mercilessly as hot sweat poured into my eyes, stinging my eyes in the process.

“I'm slipping!” Daisy's cry came again, sending goosebumps to my skin.

From where I was, I couldn't see her but I pushed on and on with relentless energy. Even as I did, part of my mind kept screaming at me HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID, LILY?! HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?!..

Daisy rarely went out, talk more of doing so with me. It was my idea to embark on this hike, the peaceful hike through the woods as I had called it.

“I'm here!” I screamed out as I finally arrived at the top of the heel where Daisy had voluntarily climbed for sightseeing but had instead, met a sudden descent into the steep valley.

“Daisy?” I looked around with nervous energy. “Where are you?”

The only thing that greeted me was the eerie silence and the harsh and scorching sun overhead, seemingly mocking my efforts.

No no no no…! I screamed internally and launched myself at the spot where I thought I had heard her voice the last time. All I saw was a piece of cloth tangled up in some shrubs. I recognized the cloth at once, it belonged to Daisy!

I let out a scream I didn't know I was holding and collapsed flat on my back. The ground was burningly hot and the sun showed no mercy but at the moment nothing mattered. She was gone! Daisy was gone! I had caused it!

“Murderer!”

“Witch!!”

“Selfish little brat!”

Those words reverberated in my ears non-stop the moment I returned home and reported what had happened. My parents, my own parents were at the forefront of the verbal and physical abuse I faced. I already expected this from them. For years they had treated me like vermin and showered Daisy with love and praises while I had no memory of what I had ever done to deserve such treatment.

“Daisy's blood is on your hands, you murderer!” They screamed…

*BACK TO THE PRESENT*

The same Daisy that was assumed dead five years ago now stood before me smirking in unison with Alpha Daven.

I took a step back in utter disbelief. “Y-you are alive?” I asked. “What's the meaning of this?” My eyes snapped back to Daven.

“This..” He removed an envelope from his jacket. “This is the beginning of the end for you.” He threw the envelope at my feet.

I stooped and picked the envelope up with trembling hands. I tore it up and my heart did a backflip, just as I expected, it was divorce papers.

“Your time's up, Lily.” Daven coldly stated. “You are free to leave, and spend the rest of your miserable life elsewhere.”

I wasn't really listening to what he was saying. My attention at the moment was fixed on the lady beside him, Daisy! The same Daisy I had mourned and has mourned for every day since then, blaming myself for her death!

“Why?” The word came out as a whisper. I was shaken quite badly too and in the process, my throat had suddenly gone dry. “I saw you fall from that cliff! I saw you die!”

“Did you though?” Daisy asked mockingly.

At that point, the realization sank in. “You never died, did you?” I asked. “That was all lies? But why?”

“Sign the papers, Lily!” Daven thundered angrily.

I had seen his annoyance, I'd seen him angry and I knew exactly how he was when he was angry but I needed to understand what was going on! I needed to inform Mom and Dad of the recent developments so I walked out of the room with tears welling up in my eyes as they both laughed at me..

***

Moments later, I found myself knocking at my parent's door. I was broken, stranded and hurt beyond comprehension. I needed to see them, to inform them of the recent developments.

The door opened at my first knock and I came face to face with Mom and Dad at the entrance. It was almost as if they knew already that I was coming.

“Mom.. Dad… You won't believe this.” I gasped but then hesitated when I saw the look on their faces. “I.. I just saw Daisy!” I finally blurted out.

Their expression still remained the same, nonchalant and cold. I gasped and took a step back. “You.. you knew too?!” I couldn't believe it!!!

“What else do you need? If there's nothing else, you should leave.” My mom spoke coldly with not even an ounce of care in her tone. My heart shattered.

“Why?! How could you do this to me?” I cried out. “How could you do this to your own daughter?!”

Mom and Dad exchanged looks and then burst into laughter.

I frowned in confusion at the sight. What was really going on here? I was eager and itching to hear the reason behind all this madness but unfortunately, no one was willing to give me answers!

“Daughter? No no no..” My dad said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, tears that had accumulated when he laughed.

“What do mean?” My confusion was growing by the minute and clarity was racing miles and miles away.

“You are not our daughter!” Mom declared loudly.

Her declaration sent a wave of panic crashing down on me. “Wh..what.. I grew up with you! You are the only parents I've ever known!” I stammered.

“Yeah.” Dad nodded. “That's because even your real parents didn't want you! You were left by your parents by the roadside when you were a baby. You were left by the roadside in the cold.”

“We saw you, took you in and gave you a home.” Mom spoke up. “We thought you would be a sister and a friend to our Daisy who was by then still in my womb then. But what did you do? You took the spotlight! Of course you're more beautiful so you just wanted to make everything about you!”

I realized at this moment that I was shivering slightly with cold sweat pouring from my forehead and the back of my neck. What the hell was this?! Was this a dream I needed to wake up from?

The accusation stung even more than the fact that I wasn't the biological daughter to the man and woman I grew up calling mom and dad. I suddenly realized the reason behind the abuse I suffered at their hands while growing up. This was all because they saw me as a competition?!

“You.. you. mean I'm not your daughter for real?” I couldn't help but ask in disbelief. “I never tried to outbest Daisy in anything, I… I…”

“Leave now! Or we'll call security!” Mom said coldly before slamming the door in my face.

***

With legs as weak as weak as jelly, I dragged myself along the roadside with no clear idea of where I was heading. Like a zombified corpse, I walked on and on, not really paying heed to where I was going.

My mind was heavy with the occurrence of the last few hours, Daisy's return, Daven's divorce, Mom and Dad or rather Daisy's Mom and Dad's revelation. That was way too much for one person to shoulder and I was unfortunate to have myself shouldering it all.

“There she is.. She's back.”

“Where?”

“Right there approaching the entrance!”

“Ooh yea, I see her too. No longer the princess she thought she was.”

“I never did like her!”

The voices interrupted my haze. I quickly looked around realizing that they were coming from maids who were working in the gardens. I was back at Daven's house and these girls were putting no effort into keeping their voices down as they freely spoke against me.

The tears threatened to fall but I held them back as I pushed into the room.

“I will sign the divorce papers.” I announced…