Rumors
I walked home, lost in thought, as Ellie’s words kept replaying in my head.
The cold night breeze brushed against my skin, but I didn’t even care. The streetlights flickered dimly, my footsteps echoing on the empty road, but none of that mattered. I was too deep in my own head to be scared.
How could my own sister force me to sleep with her husband? What kind of person does that?
Regret sank deep inside me. I shouldn’t have gone to see Diego. I shouldn’t have let it happen. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I walked through the lonely street, feeling hollow inside.
When I reached our door, I stopped and wiped my face quickly before knocking. Mom mustn’t see me crying. She’d worry, and I couldn’t tell her the truth, not this truth.
Seconds later, the door creaked open. Mom stood there, her face tired but still managing a soft smile. Even when she was breaking inside, she always tried to look strong.
I stepped in quietly and shut the door. She turned around and went to sit on the old couch, patting the space beside her.
“What happened, love? You look exhausted,” she asked gently. “You left before I even woke up. Where did you go?”
I took a deep breath, trying to sound calm.
“I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me. I just had to rush to work. My boss called for an emergency meeting, and I didn’t want to miss it,” I lied, forcing a small smile. But my eyes betrayed me, they always did.
Mom watched me for a long moment before shaking her head.
“Lyla, what is it really? You look sad.”
I nodded slowly, coming up with another lie before my mind could stop me.
“Yeah, um… one of my colleagues was diagnosed with a heart problem today. I really like her, so I’ve been crying all day. I just feel so bad.”
As the words left my mouth, I bit my tongue, guilt washing over me. I’d lied to her again.
All my life, I’d done nothing but lie to Mom, to protect her, to keep her from breaking more than she already had. I just hoped she’d forgive me someday. I couldn’t tell her that I’d found Ellie, the daughter she’s been missing all these years. The daughter who doesn’t even want to see her.
Mom reached out and touched my hand softly. “I’m sorry, my love. That must be hard. I made dinner, come eat something.”
I smiled weakly. “Mom, you really shouldn’t be stressing yourself so much.”
She chuckled lightly. “I’m just happy to see you smile again.”
Her words broke me even more. I felt miserable, guilty, ashamed, and full of secrets. How could I sit here, pretending everything was fine, while hiding something this big from her?
I picked up my fork and lazily sliced through the meat on my plate, staring into empty space. My mind wouldn’t stop racing.
“Lyla, you’ve barely touched your food,” Mom said softly. “Please, eat a little. You need strength.”
I sighed and dropped the fork, the metal clattering against the plate. “Mom, I’m not really hungry. There’s just… a lot on my mind right now.”
She gave me that patient look only mothers have. “If you don’t eat, how will you have the strength to think more?”
Despite everything, I chuckled. “Mom, come on.”
She went quiet. I noticed her blinking back tears, her lips trembling slightly. I quickly got up and placed my hands on her shoulders.
“Mom, please,” I whispered. “I thought we agreed, no more crying.”
She smiled faintly and rubbed my hand. “I’m trying, my love. I really am. I just miss your sister so much. I wonder what she’s doing right now.”
I shut my eyes tightly, pain stabbing through my chest. If only she knew. If only she knew that her beloved daughter, the one she’s cried for every night, was right here in this city, making our lives a living nightmare.
Ellie didn’t miss her. She didn’t care. All she wanted was to destroy what little peace we had left.
I forced a small smile and kissed Mom’s cheek. “Please, stop thinking about her, Mom. If she missed us, she would have come back by now. She left us, she doesn’t deserve to be missed.”
Mom frowned. “Lyla, don’t say that. She’s still your sister, no matter what. I don’t know what got into her head, but I believe deep down she still loves us.”
She dropped her fork, clenching her hands together. “She could have at least called,” she said in a trembling voice. “Just once, to say she’s alive.”
The pain in her tone said everything. Mom was broken, not because Ellie was gone, but because she still loved her. She still had hope.
I couldn’t tell her the truth, not tonight. She’d collapse if she found out I’d seen Ellie. She’d try to reach out to her, and Ellie would only hurt her again.
We finished eating in silence. When we were done, I helped Mom to her room, making sure she was warm and comfortable before leaving.
In my own room, I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. My mind kept replaying Ellie’s words.
How could she say that?
How could she ask me to sleep with her husband?
What kind of sister does that?
What kind of woman cheats on her husband and then wants her own sister to take her place?
Ellie wasn’t the same person anymore. She had changed, no, she had become someone else entirely. Someone cruel.
My phone buzzed suddenly, dragging me out of my thoughts. I reached for it and saw her name flash across the screen.
“Let’s meet at Hills Stake tomorrow. We need to talk about the next plan.”
It was Ellie.
My hands tightened around the phone, tears stinging my eyes again. I cursed the day we were born from the same womb. What kind of curse made two sisters so different?
She didn’t even care about Mom, didn’t care about the pain she caused. All she wanted was control.
And now, she wanted me to do something that made me sick just thinking about it.
The phone rang again. I sighed heavily and glanced at the screen. It was Polly, my coworker from Madam Silina’s club.
“What’s happening now?” I muttered before sliding my finger across the screen.
“Hey, love,” I greeted.
She responded with a low hum. That was strange. Polly was always cheerful, always full of energy.
“Are you okay, Polly?” I asked, frowning.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly. “It’s just… rumors flying around.”
My stomach sank. “Rumors? What rumors?”
There was a long pause, then her voice came out in a whisper.
“Lyla… how could you sleep with your sister’s husband?”
The words hit me like a slap. My breath caught in my throat. My whole body went cold.
I froze, unable to speak, unable to even blink.
How did people find out? Who told them?
I gripped my phone tighter, trembli
ng as shame, anger, and fear battled inside me.
This nightmare wasn’t just mine anymore.
It had begun to spread.