Secrets
by michimichiro
Chapter 4
A few weeks had passed since Margot and I met at the cemetery. My mind was filled with so many questions - questions I desperately wanted answers to, but I was scared to know the full truth about my past and who I really was.
At the office today, Sarah visited me, "Eli, I've noticed you seem deep in thought lately."
I gave her a sad smile. "Sarah, what exactly is the relationship between Margot and me? We're related by blood, but what are we to each other?"
Sarah looked shocked. "If you want to know, why don't you just ask Margot?"
"I'm afraid to know the real truth. I might not be able to accept it," I told her.
Sarah's face looked sad after I said that. "Eli, I don't know the details of your life story. But I do know Margot very well. Whatever she has achieved, she worked extremely hard for it."
"I had to work hard too, just to get where I am now. It wasn't easy for me either," I said.
Sarah said, "I'm not doubting that at all. Despite everything you went through, you never gave up. That's admirable."
"I didn't have a choice. It was just me against the world, Sarah. I had to be strong for myself," I told her.
"But you're not alone anymore," Sarah said in a gentle voice. "I'm here for you. If you ever need help with anything at all, just let me know."
I looked at her kind face. "Thank you, Sarah. It means a lot that you're still looking out for me, even with everything going on with the Brielle Empire."
Sarah smiled. "Of course. You and Margot are two of the most genuine people I know. I'm glad I met you both."
While Sarah and I were talking, the office door opened, and Margot walked in with that confident look she always had. Seeing her made me feel very anxious inside.
"Eli, there you are," Margot said with a nod. "We need to discuss something important. Do you have a few minutes?"
The room suddenly felt really small and closed-in. It was my chance to finally get the answers I had been so desperately wanting. But my throat went dry just thinking about it. Sarah seemed to notice that I was hesitating.
"It's okay, go ahead and talk," Sarah said gently, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze before she left the room to give us privacy.
When it was just Margot and me, she looked at me intently and said, "What's going on? You look like you have something really heavy on your mind."
I swallowed hard before speaking. "Margot, we need to talk about us and our relationship."
Margot raised one eyebrow. "Our relationship? What about it?"
"Don't play dumb," I said, maybe a little too sharply. "You know exactly what I mean - what we are to each other."
Margot's expression didn't change at all. "I thought it was obvious. We're family, related by blood."
"Yeah, but what does that mean?" I persisted, feeling my pulse start racing. "Are we siblings? Cousins? How exactly are we biologically related?"
Margot's piercing eyes bore into me. "Does it matter? We're family; that's the important thing."
"It matters to me," I fired back, feeling anger fraying my nerves. "Don't I have a right to know about my origins? Where I come from?"
Margot considered me for a long moment before speaking again. "You want to know the full truth?"
