Hana approached Emma, she stood in front of her... staring straight into her grey moonlight eyes.
" You've grown, you look just like her, your mother I mean." Hana told her.
" How do you know my mother? Who are you?."
" Sarah was my sister, I'm your Aunt Hana." Emma shook her head in disbelief, how can she have an Aunt? Her mother never mentioned anything about having a sister, but again...her mother was a mysterious woman, she knew nothing about her mother's family..nor did she talk about them, it was only her, her mom and dad... and grandparents.
" M...my, my mother never mentioned she had a sister, or any relatives." Emma stammered.
" If you give me a chance, I will tell you everything... I'm tired of hiding things, it's suffocating." Hana told her with teary eyes. Emma takes a deep breath.
" We can talk in the study upstairs." She said, they went up.. closing the door behind, they sat apart on the couch..as silence reigned inside the room, Emma raised a brow staring at Hana in silence... waiting for her to start talking, Hana sighed before speaking.
" It was just me and your mother when our parents died, we were so too young to survive on our own, it was scary... but she made sure I lacked nothing, she would stay hungry just for me to eat, she was like a mother..so caring and loving, she was the best big sister. She made sure I finished school first before she too went to college, she met Eric, your Dad..at the end of year party, they started going out.. they loved each other, Eric was a wealthy guy from a good rich family, he gave us everything..he basically did everything for Sarah, and I admired him for that."
Tears dropped from her eyes as she continued to speak.
" They later got married, they had a daughter.. and named her Ava."
" Wait! You mean to tell me, that woman I met back there is actually my sister? My elder sister?." Emma teared up. Hana nodded. " No, my parents would never hide my sister away from me."
" Because Ava isn't well."
" What do you mean she isn't well?." Emma blinked at her.
" She...she - Ava had a problem when she was 5, like any other child who longs the attention of their parents, she didn't get that when you were born.. she did things that a parent feared for their child, I mean she was just a child... she didn't know what she was doing." Hana tried so many ways to put it in the correct order of saying it, so that her niece wouldn't seem like a bad person.
" What did she do?." Emma asked curiously.
" S...she...she." those words fail to come out right, there was simply no other way to put it.
" Tell me what she did."
" She tried to kill you in your crib, she tried to suffocate you while you were asleep, she felt like you stole her parents love and attention once you were born, they paid more attention to you than her... she felt left out and neglected, Sarah found her and was very angry and terrified. She sent her far away to Thailand, she asked me to look after Ava for her...she made me promise never to let her near you, Ava spent half of her childhood in the mental hospital..she went to rehab and all that, she never had a normal childhood.. she felt and grew up telling herself she was alone in this world, that no one loved her... it's been so hard on her and I just couldn't take it any more." Hana cried out, this was more hard and shocking to Emma, she was angry... but she didn't know who she was angry at, her sister who tried to kill her? Her parents who couldn't deal with the situation in another manner? Or her grandparents who wasn't planning on telling her anything till now, everybody were nothing but liers. She's been living a lie all this time, it broke her to pieces. She looks up at Hana,her eyes red and swollen.
" Why now? Why did you two decide to come now and tell me this?." She spoke, her voice low and hoarse... almost broken.
" Because I'm tired of hiding, because I want to see two sisters reunite and make up, because Ava deserves to be with her family... I'm hoping she'll learn to love again, to trust..to be around people and most importantly that she's not alone, please, Emma. Help her, be there for her...she terribly regrets what she did, she's truly sorry...you must understand she was just a kid, and kids make mistakes." Hana begged her to forgive Ava.
" I...I have to go." She gets up rushing out, Hana went after her, she bumped into Mr and Ms Anderson downstairs.
" Emma, dear." Her grandmother looked worried seeing her there with Hana.
" I can't believe you two lied to me my all life." Those were the last words she uttered before leaving.
" What did you tell her Hana? We agreed to stay away from her."
" I told her the truth Ms Anderson, and she was the one who came here and seeked for answers." Hana simply said. Ms Anderson sneered angrily walking upstairs.
Emma didn't go back home right away, she needed time to be alone, time to process everything and consider what to do going forward. She went to the docks... sitting on the bench overlooking the sea, tears rolled down her pale face as she brings out her phone from her bag, staring at her parents pictures... The moments they spent together for her every birthday and holidays, they were so happy... thinking about it hurts her even more, to think that every holiday they spent with her, Ava was all alone.. spent her birthdays alone, it must have been very lonely and frustrating, ' did they ever thought about her? Did they miss her a little bit?
Doesn't seem like it, they looked pretty happy, any way, what does she know ' . She leaned back closing her eyes, the cold sea breeze washing over her face, it was pretty refreshing.. she stayed there till dawn, the sun had gone down, and it began to get colder and colder as time went by, her phone rang in her hands...she stared at it lazily, it was Alec calling, she didn't feel like picking up any calls at the moment... but if she doesn't, he might think she's in trouble, after all, she was a magnet of trouble... always attracting danger where ever she went, she didn't want to worry him so she picked up.
" Where are you?." His deep sexy voice spoke from the other end.
" I will be home soon." She simply said.. ending the call, with a frustrated sigh...she stood heading towards her car driving back home.
Alec saw her car pull up, he was standing on the terrace overlooking the courtyard..he stayed there just watching her, she was hitting her head on the stirring wheel..as if she was frustrated about something, she eventually stopped and just laid there. He didn't know what was going on with her, but he could tell something was wrong.. he's never seen her react this way.
Alec went back inside, descending the staircase, his long legs walking ever so gracefully..he didn't seem like he was rushing, but on a perfect pace... like a model actor in a best - selling novel. He walks towards her car opening the door, he was astonished to find that she had fallen asleep. ' was she that tired to walk inside?'
He thought, simply sliding his left hand to her back, and his right hand sliding beneath her legs, he gathered her in his arms that felt warm... comfortable and secure, closing the car door with his back, he proceeded Inside... taking her up to their room, he laid her down.. taking off her shoes and jewelry, he untied her ponytail letting her hair fall back to her shoulders, while he covered her with the sheets.