I did not spend the night at my mansion, choosing instead to head home, confident that my help would set the house right again. Now that Tomas had managed to track my physical location, which was in a secluded spot, it was safe to assume that he knew where my parents lived. However, it was much safer in town, surrounded by people who cared about my safety and, most importantly, security. After exchanging contact information with Charles, I dropped him back to where I had knocked him unconscious. He smiled and waved before walking off in the opposite direction.
I arrived home at dawn, welcomed home by the automated door. I carefully packed, taking care not to make any unnecessary noise that might alert any of my family members at home. I tiptoe into the house, removing my shoes to avoid echoing steps. At the last stair, my brother burst out of his room, a scantily clad girl in tow. He must have been trying to sneak her out, but froze as soon as he saw me.
Our parents were by no means unreasonable, but they were strict and old school, and such behavior rarely went unadmonished by them. I could stand a few insults, but my parents were extra nice to me, so I went out of my way not to disappoint them. My brother, on the other hand, would receive a few hits from my father and lectures from my mother. He did not care about any of that, but they had a tendency to suspend his cards, and those were his lifeline. He gave a curt salute, and I mirrored the gesture, reinforcing our self-serving alliance. As long as he said nothing about my late-night outing, I would say nothing about his latest conquest.
I took an hour-long bath, allowing the hot water infused with minerals and essential oils to soothe my troubles away. I tried my best to forget the events of the night, but Tomas's face kept popping up in my head, the image only getting clearer when I closed my eyes. Bathing was such a basic everyday activity that humans did, but he had managed to sear himself into this mundane routine so deeply that years later, my heart sped up every time I wanted to take a bath. Tomas had enforced my reliance on him to the point where, for the first year he was gone, I struggled with simply staying alive. Relearning these motions and eliminating the fear that came with it had been a torturous task, and years later, I still attended therapy.
After my bath, I climbed into bed and fell asleep almost instantly. I was rudely shaken awake by my little sister, who was just arriving home for the holidays from her boarding school in Sweden. I had been living with my parents for close to five years now, and despite my initial reservations, all my family members had not only warmly welcomed me but had also gone out of their way to make sure I was comfortable. I no longer had the capacity to meet them halfway with authentic affection, but I had gotten really good at pretending to be something I am not.
"I have missed you," my little sister, Star, said, throwing herself on me after I refused to get up.
I grunted under her weight and then shifted both of us so that we were lying side by side instead. She refused to let go of me, choosing instead to burrow closer to me. She was the clingiest one in the family and also my favorite. She reminded me of the little girl I could have been had my life gone the way it was supposed to. I envied the carefree life she had lived, but I did not blame her for surviving what I couldn't.
"Do Mom and Dad even know you are home?" I asked, knowing the answer
"Of course not, I came to see you straight from the car."
I pulled her into a tighter hug and chuckled when she started gasping for air before letting her go. I ruffled her short, straightened hair fondly before climbing off the bed. Star went to her room to shower and get changed, while I went down to the kitchen to get some food for my grumbling stomach. A different girl stood behind our chef, who was scrambling to assemble the highly specialized meal that she wanted. I had never seen her before, but judging from her micro mini shorts and compression shirt, she was one of my brother's numerous flings from the gym. He had a type and went out of his way to interact and sleep with women he found attractive. I did not care enough to dissuade him; I figured one day he would meet a girl who would teach him an unforgettable lesson.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked before I could even collect my thoughts.
Instead of answering, I headed towards the coffee machine to fix myself a cup. Normally, the chef would brew me one of his specialties, but I felt sorry for the poor man who was trying not to sweat into the dish under the heated insults currently being hurled his way. He tried to intercede on my behalf, but I held my hand up, gesturing for him to continue with his work.
"You are not his little sister, I know, Star. So who are you and what are you doing here?" She asked again, her voice rising a pitch higher as she took a step towards me.
Although I did not know this woman, she clearly knew her way around here. I had spent four years in a different town where my college was situated, so in the past four years, I was rarely ever home. It was not strange that she and I had not yet met, but her arrogant attitude was starting to get to me. Why would she be yelling at my staff louder than anyone else in the house had ever done? She was treating this house, which was already willed to me, like her own private house. Her unfounded arrogance reminded me of Tomas, and I decided then and there that we would not become friends.
"I am the number one woman in Tony's life," I answered, knowing that using my brother's name would trigger her, and she did not disappoint.
She opened her mouth three times, closing it each time like a fish gasping for air. She switched from confused to livid in seconds, the change almost tangible as the very air thickened with tension. I saw her intention to hit me before she lifted her hands. I could have easily taken her down long before her fist connected with any part of my body, but last night's events kept replaying in my mind, and I needed a wake-up call. She took another step closer, and I closed my eyes in anticipation, bracing for impact that never came. I gave it another three seconds before cracking an eye open. I caught a glimpse of a unique watch that could only belong to one person, so I closed my eyes, hoping I was having a nightmare.
"Closing your eyes doesn't mean your problems disappear." That dreadful voice called out cheerfully, and I had to fight the urge to bolt out of the door.
"Tomas, what are you doing here?" I asked, finally facing him. I prayed he did not see my trembling body.
"To visit you, my love. You do know you are still legally mine."
"No child is allowed to own another child!" I retorted. There were so many things I could have said, but none of them came to mind.
"Oh, is that what you think happened? No, you are legally my wife; we signed a clause that allowed us to get married as soon as you hit 18." He reached into his pocket and revealed a little red book with the title marriage license.
While my heart attempted to break free and save itself, Tony's girlfriend, who had slinked back into a corner as soon as Tomas let go of her hand, was watching us with curiosity, phone in her hand. I did not need to see the screen to know she was either voice or video calling my brother. I was still trying to gather my wits about me when Tony emerged with Charles in tow.
Now I will be the first to admit that I wasn't as frequent a person in my home as one ought to be. However, that particular morning had me question my reality with the amount of coincidences that were occurring. Being questioned by one of his little girlfriends was one thing; I could even excuse that Tomas thing because he was a stalker who had found me in the middle of nowhere. Charles is appearing in my living room in tow with my brother had to be the craziest thing I would see all day. I was wrong.