I stayed on top of my bed staring at the black sky and stars of the night replaying what just happened downstairs.
My mind wandered to the day before Ronda's baby shower. My mother had called me outside to the patio. After arguing about me not wanting to attend the party she took me to a secret place.
Flashback
"Mother you said we should never come here when we were kids." I said to my mother when I noticed where she was taking me. The end of our orchard. I just grew up thinking maybe it's because it's not safe.
"Well today feels like a good day to let you come here." We walked further and wooden steps appeared leading down to what looked like the roof of a barn.
"What is this place?" I asked looking around.
"An escape."
"An escape?"
"Yes. I built this just before you were born."
"Why?" I asked.
"Like I said. It's a place to escape to from the world." I nodded thinking she was talking about what we normally face as a wealthy family. "I know you'll like the inside. I just had it recently renovated." She smiled as we reached the door of the barn. It looked kind of like a tree house but on ground. Wood all over and surrounded by a lot of flowers, from a distance you'd think it's just a flower garden.
Hidden, I thought.
"Let's see." I said. She opened the door using her thumbprint and then walked in. "Does father know about this place?"
"Yes he does."
Well the inside is pretty much modern. Everything is updated and shiny but unlike our house, it still had the woods feel and kind of 'vacation in the forest' thing to it.
"Wow."
"You like it?" I nodded smiling.
"Yeah, it's really beautiful mother." She smiled.
"Thanks honey, well if you ever feel like you need to escape or to think or just taking a break, you're welcome to come here okay?" I looked at her.
"But it's your private space. I don't want to invade your privacy." She laughed.
"I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought you were."
End of flashback
Someone knocked on my door. I went over to open. I was met with my mother's face.
"Do you mind if I come in?" I shook my head.
"No." I closed the door behind her and went back to sit on the bed. "Need help with anything?" I asked.
"No honey I just wanted us to talk."
"I don't feel like talking." I said.
"Okay then can you please listen to me?" I shrugged. "Okay well I'm sorry about what happened at dinner tonight."
"What did Walter mean by the word stranger?" I asked her.
"Lorena he just said things that he didn't mean."
"Don't lie to me. Please." I said. "Is there something that I need to know?"
"Like what?"
"Mother stop! If you're not going to tell me the truth then please leave my room." The door opened and father walked in.
"Lorena I'll tell you the truth." Mother looked at him quickly. "It's time she knew." My heart started beating faster.
"Okay, let's hear it." I said nervously. What if I was about to be told I was adopted. I mean why else would Walter call me a stranger?
"Your birth was not planned." Father started. "If you notice, Darius is seven years older than you. After his birth the doctors said Martha wouldn't be able to carry more children. Deep down I was shuttered because I had always wanted a girl but I couldn't put my wife's life at risk." He stopped.
"So what? I'm adopted?" I asked.
"No!" Mother said quickly. "You're not adopted honey."
"Then what happened? I came through surrogacy?" I asked again.
"Not that either." Father said. "Over the years we accepted that we only had two boys because your mother here wasn't comfortable with someone else carrying her children and that was it until seven years later we had a really bad argument about having another baby or adopting. I decided after our heated argument to go out drinking." He stopped and sighed. "I met a woman and that night we spent together she fell pregnant." My eyes widened and I stood up from the bed.
"No." I shook my head vigorously. "You're lying to me right?"
"Honey I'm sorry." He said.
"She's not my mother?" I looked at the beautiful woman I always called my mother. The woman that raised me. "No! I won't accept that. It's a lie. She is mother!! You both told me she's my mother and no one else."
"Lorena you were still young to know the truth." I scoffed.
"Still young? I'm almost thirty for fuck's sake." I yelled. "Oh God, no this isn't happening." I started pacing.
"Honey I'm so sorry you had to find out this way." Father said and I shook my head in disbelief.
"So what? Now I'm supposed to suddenly call another woman my mother? Someone I have never even seen my whole life? Where the fuck has she been all these years?"
"Lorena you have never met her because she's dead." Mother said.
"What?" I asked shocked.
"She died giving birth. That's why I took you in." She explained.
My head made this weird buzz like I was about to lose balance. I could hear my own heartbeat. The room felt like it was suddenly hot.
"She's dead?" I took a deep breath.
"Yes."
"I can't hear this anymore. No I can't."
Before I could think twice, I let my feet take me to my car.
"Lorena!!" I could hear my father calling me but I continued until I reached the main door downstairs that he yelled my name again. "Lorena stop!" I stopped. "Where are you even going?"
"Away from you." I touched the doorknob.
"Wait." I sighed turning to look at him. "Princess please stay so we talk about this properly. I still have a lot I haven't told you."
"Father you have said enough for me to understand what kind of parents I've been living with all my life. I can't believe you thought you could hide this all my life." He was quiet. "Don't wait up for me." I turned and walked out.
Kim's POV
"I still think you should have told me." I said to my sister over the phone.
"I know but I didn't want to inconvenience you."
"That's ridiculous." I said before I heard a loud knock on my door. "Um Laura, I'll have to call you back. Someone's at my door."
"Okay, later."
"Yeah bye." I stood up and walked to the door. I opened the door without looking through the peephole.
On the other side stood Lorena looking kind of lost. She looked just like last night at the parking lot. Angry.
"Hi." I started when she just kept staring at me and not uttering any word.
"Hey" she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for disturbing you but um, I don't know if the offer still stands but I" she pulled her hands from behind her and revealed a bottle of tequila. I frowned.
"Tequila?" I asked.
"Yeah um, do you mind?" I looked into her eyes and I immediately knew something must have happened to her.
"No not at all. Come in." I opened the door wider.
"Thanks."
_________________
