He would never forget that faithful evening. He recalled that after he left the club, he had headed straight to his room.
"Mr. Heathrow?"
As soon as he stepped in it, he began to worry. What if Lori had sniffed out the plan? What would happen then? He remembered how hard his heart pounded when he heard the knock on the door. He remembered the hoodie he wore so the men wouldn't recognize him. He didn't remember where it was any longer. Well I can't remember everything, can I?
"Mr. Heathrow, are you still with me?"
He remembered the large smile he had on his face when the men finally left the room, leaving him with her. He features began to look more than ordinary under the dim lights. They weren't extraordinary, just extra ordinary. He recalled her lips, her soft sighs, her...
"Hello, Mr. Heathrow? Earth to Mr. Heathrow!"
He was no longer in the hotel room, he was in his office fifteen years later with a miniature version of his dream girl. A feisty version of her. He rubbed his face with his palms. "What...?"
"You've been out for a while. I believe you fell asleep."
"No, I didn't. I..."
She laughed. "There's no shame in it. You're tired, so you should probably get some rest. I'll listen later."
"Fine, I'll..."
A vase shattered outside the home office, followed by screams and shouts. He bolted out of his chair. Sleep would have to wait.
"What was that?" She said, frightened.
"I have no idea. Stay here."
"No, I'm coming with you!"
"Would you just..."
"I said no!" She said. "I've finally found you after fifteen stupid years. I'm not letting you out of my sight that easily."
"Fine, but stay close."
She timidly walked behind him as they left the office. It turned out that the vase shattered in his bedroom. He did not doubt that Lori was having one of her mental escapades. He pushed the door open, and the first thing he saw was the broken vase. The next thing he saw were the twins trying to calm their mother down. Everyone was always calming her down! The last thing he saw was their screaming mother. Knowing her, things would get messy in a matter of seconds.
"It was lovely for your father to drop a rare gem on us!" She screamed to the twins. "Wasn't it, children?"
"Lori, could you just..."
"Enough!" She barked, leaping off the bed.
"Mother, you aren't wearing any shoes. There are shards of glass everywhere," Kyrie pleaded. "You're going to hurt yourself!"
"Who cares?" She shouted, looking around the room, her hair swinging in every direction. "No one cares about me!"
"We care..."
She stared at her daughter, blinded with rage . "You two don't matter." She reverted her gaze back to her husband. "What hurts me the most is that my husband brings his bastard child into my home to insult me!"
"That's enough, Lorraine!"
"No, it isn't! It isn't over until I say so!"
She stared at Julianne, who hid behind his back. "You've got tons of nerve, kid, coming here. Who sent you, your mother? Does she want more money, or does she want to keep making more bastard babies?"
"Lorraine!"
"I guess that's the answer," she chuckled. Her eyes went bloodshot. "Wait, did you have more kids with her behind my back? You cheat!"
"My mom is dead, she died when I was a child. I didn't know he was my father until this evening!" She cried.
Lori stopped lashing. "Oh." She let out a loud laugh. "Serves her right for messing with me! Good thing she's dead, I would have killed her myself."
Julianne stopped breathing. The room swayed before her eyes.
"Julianne, go!"
Still laughing, Lori said, "She died when you were young, right? Well, let me tell you a little something about her. Your mother was a whore. She, and her gold-digger of a friend!"
"Go!"
She obliged, sprinting out of the room. He watched her leave and then pinned Lori against the wall. "What is wrong with you, Lorraine? She had nothing to do with this!"
She pushed him off her. She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a heart-piercing scream. "You did this to me, Julian! You're a cheat, yet you act so righteous! I hate you!"
"I wish I could kill you, Lorraine!" He barked. "I'm only in this stupid marriage because of the twins! How do you think they'd feel, watching their mother act like a lunatic every single day? How do you think they'd feel when they see us argue? I'm trying to make this work, but you're impossible."
"Liar!" She spat. "You don't give a damn about them! Why don't you tell them what's going on?"
His gaze met the twins, and he saw the curiosity written on their faces. "It's nothing…"
"Kids!" She sang. "Your father has leukemia, and he's gonna die! Then, we'll be rid of him!"
She let out a high-pitched shriek when she felt the sting of his palm on her face. "How dare you?"
Kyrie burst into tears, resting on her brother's shoulder. Julian ran his hands through his hair as he walked towards them. "Listen, I…"
"Is it true?"
"What do you…"
"Do you have leukemia?"
His gaze went to his shoes. Was that a spot on them? "Yes. I've been going for chemotherapy, so it's fine. Although the doctor says I need a suitable donor for the bone marrow transplant…"
"We'll help," Kyrie said, cleaning the smudges on her face with her palm. "We'll do it."
"You don't have to…"
"Please," she begged.
"Don't do it!" Lori screamed. "He isn't worth it!"
"Mom, please stop." She turned back to her father. "We'll go to the hospital tomorrow."
"You kids never listen to me!" She yelled, before throwing another vase on the floor. Kyrie screamed, crying again. Teary-eyed, she looked at her brother. "What's wrong with her?"
It was her father who replied. "She's crazy, that's what's wrong. After that checkup, we're dropping her in a psych ward."
"Dad, no!" She cried. "She's just mad, she's not crazy!"
Lori threw another vase on the floor. Kyrie grabbed her brother and they hurriedly left the room. Julian left too, not wanting to be a victim of one of her attacks.
He found her in the office, curled on the sofa. She was wide awake and stared at him as he walked to his chair.
"I can't stay here," she suddenly said.
"I know," he muttered. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew it was the truth. Lori's mood swings were numerous. She was too…unstable. "I'll find another caretaker for you tomorrow."
"I have to leave now," she pressed. For all she knew, her stepmother from hell would sneak into her room in the night and slit her throat.
He gave in to her demands. "Fine, I'll call someone."
She left the office, heading to Kyrie's room. Luckily, she wasn't in, and she wasted no time packing-correction, dumping her stuff into boxes and bags. She went back to the office and in a while, they were out of the manor.