Beyond Captivity

The Truth

Author's Pov 

Nerissa kept fiddling with her fingers and averting her eyes to her twins in nervousness. She was sure she wanted to have this incredibly difficult conversation but she wasn't ready for it just yet. 

So she decided to cover the other equally important topic prior to an uncomfortable revelation. Sole purpose of which would be to know if she was told the truth about her existence so then they could establish a bit of ease among themselves with an open dialogue. 

“Can I ask you something first?” She asked hesitantly and her parents understood she needed verbal reassurance. 

“Of course. You don't need to ask for permission, just tell us what's bothering you. We'll be happy to answer all your questions.” Alexandros replied softly. 

“Um… The officers said that mom… she wasn't my mom…” She looked at them hoping they'll take over from here. 

Eleni sighed and gave her a reassuring smile before speaking. “I'm your mother, Nessa. Lauren- or Laura —as she called herself— was my sister. She kidnapped you to avenge her husband who we sent to jail because he was a bad man.”  

“What did he do?” 

Alexandros took over from here and explained like he was talking to a little child. “He worked for my company and since he was family I trusted him completely. But he was a very greedy man, Nessa. He stole a lot of money so I filed a case against him and the police took him away.” 

“Is he alive?” Nerissa was interested in the answer because Lauren's husband was the man she grew up to believe was her father. 

“No. He suffered a heart attack and died six months after his imprisonment.” Alexandros swiftly lied through his teeth. 

Nerissa's mood shifted but she didn't personally know the man to feel bad for him. She took a few moments to gather a fresh list of questions as her parents patiently waited. 

“How do I know that… you know I loved mom. She was such a kind person. She always took care of me, she always gave me what I wanted, she was… she was simply the best. I never felt kidnapped with her. I… I can't believe that she's not my mother…” 

The couple was heartbroken hearing her say that, especially Eleni because she realized Nerissa would always have another motherly figure that she loved before her.

Alexandros smiled sadly at the unusual circumstances that they had found themselves into and took out his phone. He scrolled through his favorite pictures then popped one up to show to his daughter. 

It’s been seven years since she's held a phone and it felt like a sign of freedom. These smallest things were affecting her in a way no one could ever imagine. She's been hella anxious since she was rescued but the happiness she felt was incomparable to anything in the world. 

The picture she saw was the family portrait taken of the Drakos a month after Nerissa was born. The couple stood in front with Eleni holding baby Nessa as Alexandros held Alekos and Andreas while the older two boys stood next to them, all in formals. 

“That's you.” Alexandros told her as she zoomed into herself. “You know we always wanted a girl…” Nerissa looks up from the photo and a strange feeling sets in her as she realizes that her whole life was probably a lie. “You were our last baby and we were so happy when we got to know you were a girl. Christos and Nikos were even more excited than us. Alekos and Andreas didn't really care because they were so young themselves but when they saw you…” 

“They were instantly in love.” Eleni completed his sentence smiling to herself as she recalled the memory then looked at the very same girl who was the reason for their happiness. “You completed our family. My savage boys were suddenly so gentle and even your father,” She lets out a breathy laugh. “He’d raised four boys but when you were born he was suddenly scared he'd accidentally hurt you because you were so delicate and small.”