Chapter 8: Caught Between Crossfire

"How did you get this? How do you know all of this?” Lia asked her heart racing.

Harper's tone turned cold “Everyone knows the story. You’ve been left in the dark. Why do you think no one likes you? You were never one of us, Lia. It all makes sense now, doesn’t it? The desperate need to be loved, to be seen. Deep down, you know you’re not even a real Martins.” Her voice was smooth, layering each word with a silky menace. “You were taken in, polished up, and placed in this pretty little lie. But deep down… you’ve never belonged here.”

Lia's eyes widened, disbelief growing into a fury. "Shut up." Tears, unexpected and unwelcome, began to gather in her eyes, and she quickly brushed them away.

“But I’m not done yet,” Harper continued, her smile wicked as she paced like a predator circling its prey. “Funny enough, the whole town knows. Your mom tried to keep it quiet, but secrets don’t stay buried in Crestwood, especially not the big ones like yours.”

Lia’s heart raced, each beat pounding louder in her ears as her fists clenched tightly at her sides. “Why would you tell me this?”

“Because someone had to,” Harper said with a feigned sweetness. “Everyone’s been walking around on eggshells, letting you play princess in a castle built on lies.” She paused, her expression hardening. “I figured it was time someone told the truth, take it from an old friend, before you embarrass yourself even more.” A hint of malicious enjoyment spread across her face.

Silence hung heavy in the air, with tension. Lia stepped forward, her fists clenched.

“You think that changes anything? I might not have their blood, but I’m still more real than you’ll ever be. At least I don’t need to destroy people to feel relevant.” Her voice dripped with disdain.

“Aw, still clinging to that fake crown?” Harper shot back, a mocking pout on her lips.

Lia took a shaky breath, her voice quivering with barely contained rage. “You’re disgusting if this makes you feel better about yourself.”

“Actually, it does,” Harper replied, a smug smile creeping across her face. “You’re delusional if you think this changes anything for me. But for you? Everything’s about to fall apart, oh and ask Mrs Stacey how her husband really died.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Lia standing frozen in place.

Staring at the floor, Lia felt the weight of Harper’s words press down on her, the world spinning as the facade she’d known her entire life began to shatter into pieces. All of her life, has been a lie?

~~~~~~

Lia stormed into her mother's bedroom without a knock.

“Will you explain this?” Lia asked, her voice trembling as she stretched forth the sheet of paper. Mrs. Stacey glanced at her daughter, a mixture of confusion and concern etched on her face, before quickly snatching the document from Lia's trembling fingers. Her eyes darted across the content, taking in the shocking truths laid bare.

“Who gave you this?” Mrs. Stacey's tone was filled with a fraying urgency, her gaze darting between the paper and her daughter’s tear-streaked face.

“Does it even matter?” Lia's voice quivered as she instinctively stepped back. “Has my whole life been a lie?”

“Oh, sweetie, of course not!” Mrs. Stacey reassured her, though her heart raced with the fear of what was to come.

“Then is the paper fake?” Lia fired back, the tension in the room thick enough to cut. She knew that the next words out of her mother's mouth had the potential to shatter her already fragile world.

“Baby, let’s sit down for a moment and talk this through.”

“No! Is it real or not?” Lia shot back, desperation creeping into her voice.

“It is…” Mrs. Stacey’s voice trembled as she choked on the words, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “...it is true, but it doesn’t change anything. You are still my sweet daughter, no matter what.”

“Oh my God…” Hot tears streamed down Lia's cheeks, each drop bearing the weight of betrayal and heartbreak. “And everyone knew, except for me? Is that even fair?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I had planned to tell you—” Mrs. Stacey began, but her voice broke.

“When? When everyone hates me for reasons I never understood? All my life, I felt like I had to belong, to fit in. I tried so hard to make everyone love me. Now I realize why it was never enough, because even my real parents didn’t want me.”

“Oh baby, that’s not true!” Mrs. Stacey cried, her voice desperately trying to hold onto hope. “I love you, and you are perfect just the way you are.”

“No! You might have been perfect in high school, but I’m not! And just to let you know, Asher and I broke up. He was cheating on me with Harper. Plus, Trudy and I aren’t friends anymore; she thinks I’m worthless. Who could blame her?” Lia let it out in a rush, angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“Oh baby, I...” Mrs. Stacey started.

“Don’t call me that! I am not your ‘baby.’ I’m not even your child. I don’t even know who I am anymore,” Lia interrupted, her hurt spilling over into anger.

“You are Ophelia Martins, and you are my sweet girl,” her mother insisted gently, reaching out in a futile attempt to bridge the chasm that had suddenly opened between them.

“It doesn’t feel that way anymore,” Lia whispered, her voice breaking. “I just want to be alone.” With those words, she turned away, retreating to her room. She slammed the door shut and locked it, sliding down against it until she was curled up on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as her world spun out of control.

“I am so sorry, I am so sorry,” Mrs. Stacey’s voice echoed softly from the other side of the door, pleading.

It had been two long days since Lia had locked herself away in her room, drowning in a mix of confusion and heartache. The dim light filtered through her curtain lost in thought, she hadn't gotten much sleep lately. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I said go away! I want to be alone!" Lia called out, convinced it was her mum checking in on her again.

"Lia? It’s Asher," came a familiar voice from the other side of the door, slicing through her isolation like a knife. The shock of hearing him here made her stomach twist. What the hell was he doing at her house?

"Can I come in?" Asher continued, his tone softer than she remembered.

"What do you want?" she replied, unease lacing her words.

"You haven't been in school. I'm just checking in, making sure you're okay," he said through the closed barrier between them.

Involuntarily, Lia found herself opening the door, half-expecting to see a scornful expression on his face. Instead, he looked earnest, though she couldn’t ignore the messy state of her room.

"Come in," she muttered, embarrassment creeping in as she gestured for him to enter. "Sorry about the mess."

"No problem," Asher said, his eyes darting around as he searched for a place to sit amidst the chaos of clothes and scattered books.

"You don’t have to sit. You won’t be staying long," Lia stated coldly, her icy stare pinning him in place.

"Listen, Lia, I know we had our differences…" started Asher, but she cut him off.

"Are you for real right now? Differences? You utterly destroyed my heart!" Lia snapped, feeling the anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "Maybe this was a bad idea; you should just go."

"I’m sorry, Lia. I never meant to hurt you. Zayn suggested the scholarship opportunity, and with Harper’s connections and my hockey skills, it seemed like a sure thing," he explained, his voice tinged with desperation.

"You're the mayor's son. What do you need a scholarship for?" Lia shot back, disbelief in her tone.

"There’s a lot you don’t understand, Lia," he replied, his expression unreadable.

"No shit! I just found out I was adopted!" The admission struck like a thunderclap, but she didn’t fail to notice the stunned silence that fell over Asher, a hint of guilt shadowing his features. "Wow… so everyone knew but me?"

"Lia, your mum had her reasons for keeping it from you. It wasn’t my place to share that," Asher defended, concern etched across his face.

"Oh really? Well, I had to hear it all from Harper instead!" Lia's disgust was undeniably expressed.

"Look, I’m truly sorry for how everything turned out between us," Asher said, stepping forward, his tone earnest. "I genuinely want to make things right. Please, just give me a chance."

Before she could respond, the door swung open wider as Tyler strode into the room, a box of chocolates in hand. "What the hell is he doing here?" he interrupted, his cold gaze fixed on Asher.

"Tyler…" Lia’s voice trailed off, caught between the familiar warmth of her best friend whom she now had a growing attraction for and the lingering tension centered on the boy who had once meant so much to her.