A Crystal Love

Chapter 4 - Poetic Justice

Flashback

Arriving at home late in the evening after a long day shift, I drive past the short hedges and night lamps decorating and lighting up the driveway with my front window down and music blasting through the Bluetooth speaker. I tap my thumbs on the steering wheel as I admire beautiful set up of the landscape that usually manages to relax me, especially when I come out here for a walk later after dinner.

Walking into the house, the atmosphere is eerily quiet.

I walk through the corridor and hear loud voices that seem to be coming from upstairs.

Dad has a short and bad tempter, he often shouts, but this seems different.

As I reach the top of the stairs and to my surprise, I see some of the house staff lined up in the corridor near the study, where the shouting seems to be coming from.

They are so invested in eavesdropping that they don't hear me coming until I clear my throat.

"Oh, good evening, Roman" Jose, one of the workers mumbles when he turns his head in my direction, then he turns almost immediately towards the sound of the shouting again.

It takes him a second to realise what he just said and to whom, before he whips his head around again.

"Oh Roman.."

"Roman!" He repeats loudly, as if warning the others.

I say nothing, except give him a pointed stare. When I turn to look at the others, they are looking at me fearfully, but it's like the spell that has them rooted in place breaks, because they all scatter in different directions, including Jose.

I quietly approach the door, Dad's voice getting louder.

He is angrily, his shouting is paced out now.

"What you did Raina is unforgivable." That's Lucian's voice, dad's brother.

"Unforgivable." Dad emphasizes." It wasn't enough for you to be a whore, but you had to bring your bastard child and make me raise it as my own?" He adds and I hear the sound of glass shatter.

I push the door open and come face to face with Dad's angry face.

He snaps his gaze at me and scowls even more, looking at me from head to toe before staring back at my mother, who is pressed up against the window, broken furniture and glass on the floor around her.

Clearly, that recent bottle of wine was not the first item to be broken during this encounter.

I don't know what the hell is going on, but there is no excuse for him harm her...I look at her critically, but apart from the tears rolling down her face, there are no signs of physical injury.

I also notice my sister Rhea is in the room, she looks terrified, her fingers holding the ends of her shirt tightly as if it will protect her if push comes to shove.

She is standing close to my uncle who looks just as irritated as my father. He is my father's older brother and shares his temperate...he and I often don't see eye to eye.

"What's going on here?" I ask hiss.

"Ask your whore of a mother, for all I know Rhea is not mine either, hell, perhaps I have no children in this fucking house." Dad growls, then walks out of the door, stepping on broken glass with his leather shoes as he goes, but I don't think he cares.

Uncle Lucian follows, giving me a short, pointed glare before he disappears.

Rhea stands up and leaves the room without saying a word to me as well, rushing out as if she has been given 3 seconds to leave or she will die with us.