CHAPTER 75

MELANIE.

THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE CAFE WAS LIGHT.

Fun. Carefree. Everyone with their friends or family enjoying their beverage of choice as they chatted. But around me, silence reigned.

Tension hung in the air like a ridiculously expensive chandelier as I drilled holes into the man who claimed to be my brother with my eyes while he squirmed in his seat and gave me nervous smiles which quickly faded when I didn't return them. He was dressed in a simple button-up shirt and khakis and his loafers tapped an anxious rhythm on the linoleum floor.

We hadn't said a word to each other since we got here, except to order the coffees which were going cold in front of us, untouched.

“Um…Nice weather today, don't you think?”, he smiled.

“Get to the point”, I shot back.

He blew out a breath and placed his hands on the table; I noticed he had no ring.

“Okay. This is harder than I imagined, but I'm open to any questions you might have”, he said earnestly.

Good, because I had plenty.

I shifted. “I never heard of a twin. Or a brother for that matter”, I said.

“Well, mum and father didn't have the smoothest relationship. They argued a lot even while she was pregnant with us, and not long after we were born she took me and ran away”, he said. I kept quiet, processing all this information. It sounded plausible, but anyone could cook up a sob story with just the right amount of emotion. I've done it multiple times, on the spot even.

I also noticed how he said ‘Mum’ but didn't say ‘Dad’. The same way I would say Mother, because she was never mum to me. “How come my father never mentioned you?”, I asked.

The look of unease that crossed his face then had my back going up.

“There’s no easy way to say this”, he started.

“I know you grew up with him and everything, but”, he trailed off.

“Spit it out”, I urged and the uneasy look returned.

“Um. According to mum, father was abusive. He hit her all the time, and even when she threatened to go away he said it would be good riddance. Melanie wait!”, he said the last part as I shoved up and backed away from the table.

Fucking liar. I knew it.

“This was a waste of time. I shouldn't have come!”, I spat.

I was aware I was drawing the attention of other diners but unable to care. I spun on my heel and stormed out, berating myself for even entertaining the idiot. How could I have been so stupid? I should punch him in the face for talking trash about my dad, but I don't even want to look at him anymore.

“Melanie!”, I heard him yell from behind but I kept walking, refusing to let the tears of anger drop.

“I know it's hard to believe but I swear it is the truth”, he yelled again.

Furious I spun around. “Stop it. You're a fucking liar”, I yelled. People glanced my way, but I ignored them. He hadn't expected me to stop so he just stood there looking at me.

“She showed me all her scars. The cut on her arm from when he pushed her against the kitchen cupboard, the bruises on her face from the day she finally took me and left”. He still insisted, backing up a few steps when I walked up to him with deadly intent.

“If what you say is true, then why did she leave me behind with such a dangerous man?! Why did he put pink princess bandages on all my bruises and scrapes? Why did he give me piggyback rides? Why did he let me paint his fucking nails?!” I yelled and shoved at his chest.

I was fast approaching seeing red and for his sake, it was better he was nowhere near me when I did. I grabbed at his shirt and brought his face closer to mine, making sure he understood me clearly.

“I don't know who you are or what your agenda is, but the next time you come near me talking shit about my dad, you'll pay for running your mouth”, I released him and he stumbled back blinking like I'd become an unrecognizable person.

I felt like I had. My dad had been my only family throughout my childhood. He'd been my pillar and we had always had each other's backs. I felt utterly lost the day he died, like a part of my soul had been ripped off. It was bad enough dealing with the fact that he'd been borrowing money from Cadell without telling me, but this was just too far.

“Wow. She warned me that he would have poisoned your mind against her, but I didn't know it would go so deep”. Bennett, if that was even his name, said, narrowing his blue-gray eyes that were so similar to mine. I caught a flash of fire in his eyes and I was taken aback. The whole time he'd been slightly nervous, accommodating, placating.

Now I’d seen something that briefly made me wonder if we were, in fact, related.

“On the contrary, he never ever said a bad word about her. I don't hate my mother because I was taught to, I hate her because she abandoned me. And if what you say is true, then my dad died years ago. I was just a teenager! I'd lost the only family I'd ever known. I had to keep a roof over my head, put food in my mouth, and see myself through the rest of my schooling. Where the fuck were you then?!”

The tears were coming now, fast and hot. Seeing them must have softened something in Bennett; he said nothing but he took steps forward with his arms outstretched.

“Oh, Melanie”, he whispered.

The sympathy in his eyes set me off again. I held up a hand to deter him from coming closer as I angrily swiped at my tears.

“You’re going to need to give me an answer. Because I know you knew when he died, you can't tell me you just found out. Do you have any idea how rough it's been for me?” More tears spilled as I realized that I wouldn't have had to go to Cadell if they had shown up. I would have had help repaying the debts and they would have been cleared sooner.

I would have maybe been in Hollywood living my dream as an actress with the support of my family, not jumping every time the phone rang because my boss had once pressed a lit cigarette into the small of my back for letting it ring thrice.

“Mum was scared, Melanie. She didn't know what he had told you, she didn't know how to face you because she was ashamed of leaving you behind. She still is. But I wasn't. She's the only reason why I haven't come looking for you sooner. She held me back, but I just wanted to meet my sister”, his voice cracked with emotion as he took small steps forward. This time, I let him.

“I wanted to see those eyes I'd heard were like mine, I wanted to touch you and confirm you were real”. He placed a hand on my shoulder as he said this, looking into my eyes before pulling me into a tight hug. I wrapped my hands around him and sobbed fiercely into his shirt.