Maya (Book #3)

Chapter 69

Although the boys were desperate to hear everything that we'd experienced, Charlotte and I decided to save the whole story until we were united as a family again. This didn't stop us from secretly celebrating our discovery, however. She would ask me questions about what I remembered from a young age, and I would ask her about Bella and what I was like as a baby and toddler. She said that I was a handful, which didn't surprise me. I told her maybe I took after her in that way and we laughed, trying to silence ourselves as the boys walked into the room.

Throughout the following week, we would catch each other's eyes as we were sitting at the dinner table or watching a movie and we couldn't help but scoot together and hug. I had a mother like I'd always wanted, a better mother than I could ever have dreamed of having.

It wasn't all fun, though. While her family had already mourned the loss of Bella and their father, their deaths didn't possess the significance they did for us now. One morning, we visited the cemetery where Bella and Charlotte's husband's graves resided and brought flowers and a picnic blanket. We ended up spending a large part of the day there, sharing stories and quietly speaking to them, hoping they were listening. Charlotte released a lot of her anger at her husband and asked for his forgiveness. She was grateful to know that he didn't leave her of his own accord, even if the truth was far more ghastly. I talked to Bella and told her I was happy that she had gotten a good childhood, despite its grim ending. I promised her that I would take good care of our brothers and keep them safe from themselves and whatever else might come. A breeze blew by at that moment, pushing pink petals from our flowers onto my lap. I wondered if that was her way of answering.

A couple of days later, Charlotte unearthed my birth certificate which she had managed to keep in pristine condition, saved in a file in her office. The large filing cabinet it was stored in sat directly behind the armchair I used in her office, which frustrated us both immensely. We were so close to the truth for so long and neither of us ever discovered it.

Telling the boys went over better than we thought it would.

We sat at the dining room table with an extensive feast sprawled in front of us as we celebrated Dominic's arrival home. There was a "welcome home" banner on the wall, and we popped confetti as he walked into the dining room with Damon. He had one arm held in a sling and gauze covering his wound but other than that, he was as strong as ever. He gave us all a hug and reassured us that he was feeling great, and healing quickly.

He slid into his seat and Damon grumbled as he cut his food for him and prepared his plate. Dominic requested that Damon feed him as well, which earned him a glare and a hard smack on his good arm. As we ate, we talked about what had happened, finally beginning to feel comfortable sharing our stories. Caleb spoke first, detailing what he, Brooks, and Damon had experienced.

"When Mom didn't answer her phone and Dominic didn't either, we knew something was up. We tracked Mom's phone to Maya's old house and tried to convince the police that we needed backup going there. They didn't believe what we were saying at all until this other officer came in and advocated for us, explaining Maya's situation with her uncle." Caleb explained, flailing his hands wildly as he spoke and then pausing for dramatic effect.

 "That was Asher's mom," Brooks continued when Caleb was taking too long. "She defended what we were saying and convinced them to send a couple of people down to check it out."

I thought of Mr. and Mrs. Kelly with amazement. Gunshots had been sent at the police from my uncle, but he had ultimately been taken down after a long chase. Mr. Kelly had been the one to catch him in the end, blocks away from my old house. Asher told me a bullet had scraped his father's arm and he was covered in scrapes, but his injuries were mending quickly. 

Even later, when I mentioned their friend's name as one of my abusers, they believed me wholeheartedly. The evidence Dominic provided in his recording of my uncle's confession was even more incriminating. Both my uncle and Officer Walker would be placed on trial as soon as possible and hopefully sent to prison, where I heard they didn't take too kindly to child abusers. 

"Maya, what happened with you?" Damon asked sympathetically. I bit my lip and turned to Charlotte, not sure what I was allowed to reveal. She cleared her throat and gained everyone's attention before making her announcement.

"We actually discovered a lot when talking to her uncle," Charlotte said, saving me from the uncomfortable reveal. "First of all... he wasn't really her uncle, at all. He was her father."

The table gasped, except for Dominic, who wore a grim expression on his face. I wasn't sure how much he was aware of given the pain he experienced during my uncle's confession, but this told me that he knew the majority.

"And her father also happens to be my ex-boyfriend, the one I've told you about?" she asked hesitantly, gauging the crowd's reaction. They nodded but looked stupefied.

"The one you had Bella with, Mom?" Caleb asked, worry in his eyes. "Didn't he die along with Bella's twin sister?"

She winced at me and suddenly, each pair of eyes pivoted to my corner of the table, where I sat with prominent rosiness on my cheeks. I smiled weakly and shrugged, telling them everything without a word.

"You're Maddie, Bella's sister?" Brooks asked, looking me over as if he didn't know me.

"That's why you remind me of Bella!" Damon said, jumping up. "You're twins!" He shook his head as if he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before.

"Fraternal, of course." Charlotte chimed in, looking at me with adoration. "Maya is younger by ten minutes."

I groaned and they all turned to me, worried about what I was feeling.

"I'm still the youngest?" I whined, pouting. They all cracked up until Dominic interrupted.

"Does this mean you're going by Maddie now? Can I call you Mads?" he asked with a smirk and a twinkle in his brown eyes.

"No, I'm still Maya," I said with conviction. "I like that name, it's who I am." Charlotte beamed at me with pride while everyone else still reeled at the news.

"Okay Mads," Dominic said, while Damon gave him a subtle high five.

"You guys suck," I said dryly.

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A/N Thank you to @_lele_98 and everyone else who votes on each chapter and is so kind about my writing. I appreciate all the encouragement and I already can't wait to write another book after this one!! I guess I should finish posting this one first tho... one chapter left! 

Also, Wattpad is being weird and pushing some of my words together when I publish! I'll try editing multiple times to try to fix it! Sorry about that :)