Shattered Innocence

Unveiled Truths

I had to try and focus on the shouted words as I hurried downstairs, hand in hand with Yuri. I still felt the heat of his touch warming my palm, and my knickers were drenched with desire from our encounter.

But as soon as I reached the bottom step, all the pleasure and afterglow faded away, and a mix of panic and hope clenched my throat. Standing at the front door, uncertain and hesitant but holding her ground, was my sister Lily. She wore an expression that mirrored my usual demeanor, although slightly more nervous, with her arms crossed as she stared them down.

My men. Standing together, side by side, Nikolay, Mikhail, Ivan, and Zack created a protective barrier as if shielding me from her. They had witnessed how her anger and hatred had crushed me before, so they stood firm, but she was still my sister. Squeezing Yuri's hand for strength, I continued until I stopped next to them, sparing Lily a glance.

"What's going on? I heard shouting."

For a moment, all eyes were on me. Zack raised an eyebrow at my flushed cheeks and disheveled appearance, but their focus quickly returned to Lily, glaring at her.

What had she done? She jerked her gaze towards me and scanned me with disdain. "Oh yes, she's clearly so damn traumatized," she sneered arrogantly.

"Huh?" I furrowed my brow, bewildered. "Someone fill me in."

"We were trying to enlighten your sister," Nikolay spat the word like a curse, "about exactly who you are and what you went through."

"You what?" I snapped. They knew they had made a mistake as they avoided eye contact, except for Nikolay. "I couldn't stand her insulting you like she did. I didn't tell her everything, just some bits," he admitted.

"Oh yeah, because she was clearly abused," Lily snarled.

The urge to run consumed me, but when I met their eyes, I saw their confidence in me and the strength they offered. They wanted me to tell the truth and stop protecting Lily. And they were right. I had been shielding her from the truth, but she was no longer a child, and she deserved to know, even if she wouldn't believe it.

That thought terrified me, but with her note burning a hole in my pocket, I stood before her, taking a deep breath. We were like night and day, two very different sisters.

"Of course, you wouldn't think I was. I protected you from it, Lily," I told her softly.

She jerked and met my gaze with derision. I stepped forward, knowing she was the only person in this world who could hurt me to the core.

The anger in her eyes tore at me. I wanted her to believe me, but I had made my decision, and now she needed to make hers. I would give her all the facts, knowing she would need them. Her scientific mind couldn't accept anything without evidence.

"Father hurt me, Lily," I revealed. Her mouth opened to argue, but I continued. "For years, he was not the man you knew, sis. He wanted me to feel isolated, ashamed, helpless, and alone. I was scared to tell anyone, scared to tell you because I needed to protect you, even if it meant hurting myself in the process. He knew that by separating us, it would turn us against each other. Lily, deep down, you know what I'm saying is true. You know he was capable of being cruel and cold if it served his desires. You must have noticed the changes in me. I tried so hard to hide the evidence, But I know you saw it, even if you didn't understand it."

"Stop," she demanded, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you're trying this."

"What?" I asked, frowning. I felt Zack and Mikhail step closer behind me to protect me.