Broken Mirror

Chapter Eleven: Enemy of My Enemy

I arrived back home to the unsettling sight of everyone gathered in the drawing room. Based on the faces my family members were making at me I knew they had questions and wanted explanations. None of them looked like they were in the mood to be forgiving either.

"Sit down," father commanded me while pointing at a spot on the couch between Ryan and Maggie.

I didn't resist or complain because I didn't want to make matters worse.

"Why do you continue to go behind all of our backs?" father questioned in an attempted calm voice, "I thought you were done doing favors for our neighbor. Why do you continue to obey him?"

"I have no choice!" I cried out, "I was hoping you would figure that out already and that you would no longer be blind to what's going on! You saw what Thomas did tonight. He threatened to kill you and that's why I'm scared of him. I have no control over him and that's why I have to obey him."

I was now crying, tears freely flowing down my face, but I still refused to provide my family with the full truth because I was still scared of the consequences.

"I understand how terrible he is," father continued, "But that's not going to help me understand what's going on and what's happening to you. I don't get it, Bella, I don't get how you could possibly choose someone who's as terrible as Thomas Shelby over your own family who love you and care for you."

I could only nod in response to father's remarks.

Momma remained quiet and distraught. She had unfortunately returned to her depressed state she had been plunged into after first learning about my disobedience and it didn't look like she would recover and return to normal again. In fact, she couldn't handle our family's debating and she left to go to bed early.

Father didn't even try to hold Momma back and he let her walk out of the room in a hollow, almost transfixed state.

I thought father was going to continue to lecture me and demand answers, but for what seemed like the first time in his life he was speechless. It was almost as if he didn't know how to lead his family which surprised me as he was normally strong and fiercely able to handle any situation life threw at him.

"Goodnight," father told us as he left the room without finishing his pressing questioning of me. He hadn't gotten any answers and seemed as if he didn't want to fool with my stubbornness anymore.

I was left in an awkward situation, alone with my little sister and my brother.

"Maggie why don't you go to bed?" Ryan asked, but it was more of a demand than a question, "I want to talk to Bella alone."

Maggie didn't come to my defense and she left without fussing.

Ryan looked me sternly in the face before beginning his own lecture.

"I can't comprehend what you've become, Bella. I thought I knew you because you're my sister, but I guess I was wrong to believe that. What's gotten into you? Why do you continue to hurt our family?"

"You talk like I'm the only one who has made mistakes," I growled, "Like I'm the only one who has hurt others in our family. What you don't realize is you've hurt me the same as I've hurt you. See when you and father became inseparable I felt like I was being ignored. Father stopped spending time with me to put work first and family second. After you started traveling with him I felt rejected because I was never allowed to follow along. So, don't treat me like I'm the only one who has caused suffering."

"Do you even hear yourself when you're talking?" Ryan asked, raising his voice, "You sound selfish, Bella. I know you felt terrible after I started taking an interest in father's work. I could see it in your eyes and I felt terrible, but I came to the realization that there's a point in everyone's lives where they have to grow up and become an adult. What I was doing was helping our family, helping you. Father's business puts a roof over our heads and food on the table and one-day father isn't going to be around to run the family business so it will become my duty to provide for my family like a man is supposed to. But what would you know about being grateful? You've only acted irrationally and made poor decision after poor decision since you've arrived in Birmingham. It's your pride that's the problem not the past and not me for wanting to fulfill my duties."