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I Thought So

Chapter 31: I Thought So
Adeline

"Hold on, Kaleb. I'm thinking."

"Think about telling me a fucking lie? I dare you."

"Kaleb, calm down."

My mother rubs her temples before breathing deeply, thinking about what to say.

"Where do I start? Okay, it's just to protect Adeline."

"Protect her? How?" Kaleb grumbles and I roll my eyes at him. "Stop it."

"You guys remember one of your cousins right? The one who used to have Adeline's exact features." My dad mumbles, smiling back at me.

"Who, Avani? I haven't seen her in a while." I perk up at the name, a person I haven't seen in ages.

Avani is my older cousin, she's 23. A lot of people said I looked exactly like her, we were twins.

"Yeah, her. Avani's dead." My mother draws out and I gasp, feeling my face drain. "Just because of her features."

"We're just trying to protect, Adeline. Those scars on Adeline's stomach, they're from her almost ending up like Avani." My dad tries his best not to cry, but I just give them a questioning look.

"I have scars on my stomach?"

Pulling up my shirt slightly, I try to look at the surface, but struggle to see any marks.

"Right here." Kaleb, who was quiet for most of the time, pokes a spot on my stomach and I look at it, noticing the small stitch marks. "I kind of remember that."

"I wouldn't expect you to remember it, Kaleb. You were 11." My mom laughs slightly before continuing. "You guys remember Easton's uncle, right? Well, he came down here during the time that Easton and Adeline were almost inseparable. You remember that you guys used to be friends, right?"

"I try to forget." Mumbling, I play with my fingers, finding a way to distract myself.

"Easton is a year older than Adeline. Kaleb is a year older than Easton. And-"

"That's besides the point, mom." My brother grumbles, redirecting the conversation.

"Sorry. The time his uncle came down, he met Adeline and Avani. He took an interest in the both of you. Sadly, he tried something with Addy first. But-"

"But thankfully Easton was able to stop it before anything could happen. So, by nature, Easton's uncle tried to pursue Avani. For a couple of years. When she finally fought back, he killed her." My dad takes over, allowing my mom to breath.

"So why is Adeline wearing that nonsense?"

"If you're pretty and you have a good shape, they want to take advantage of it. Don't give them a chance." Mom shrugs and I nod, waiting to hear the rest.

"Adeline, I know Easton used to hurt you. You don't know why though."

"Because of Brianna?" I mutter, already knowing it was true.

"His uncle, smarty. Easton's messed up in some aspects of his head, and it's only because of his uncle. He's doing it for his life."

Kaleb grumbles something under his breath and I look up at him, seeing his ears turn red.

"That doesn't mean shit."

"It means a lot of things, Kaleb!" My dad yells, causing me to flinch. "He's doing it for his and Adeline's well being."

"Well being? Fucking lie." Kaleb stands up, looking down at my dad. "Adeline suffers because of that shit."

"I know, Kaleb, but-"