Clare stood there in the ice-cream shop. The noise around her, a background sound as everything else
just slowed down, everything besides those four words, “Nathan is your brother,” that was deafening,
the words echoing so loud she wanted to rip her ears off.
The urge to scream strong but she couldn’t find her voice. How could she have a brother and not know
about him? It was so obvious now that she had heard the words. Nathan was her brother.
All of her eight years of what she remembered she’d wanted another sibling, yearned for it like a
second limb. Yet, here he stood, so close but she felt like they were mountains apart.
She was played for a fool, her own mother rolled the dice. How many other lies followed, how much
more was there to tell. Clare didn’t hear the others talk. She didn't hear Nathan calling her name. Her
mind too caught up in how her own mother had betrayed her, she knew the woman didn't want her, but
this. Clare shook her head.
A wave of anger coursed through her veins as her mother's long fingers brushed her cheek. Clare
snarled at the woman who she had refrained from meeting the end of her tongue all the years. Her lip
curled in disgust, but her voice came out steady, dead, belying her anger, “You think this is so funny,
don't you mother, mine, huh? Playing God with my life, lying to me.”
She ran her fingers in her hair, hoping to feel a knot to tug, to ground her, make her feel strong, “I want
to leave now.” She stammered, “I wanna go back to London, I.. I can't do this.”
When Clare met the sorrowful gaze of Nathan she flinched, dropping her head. She didn't want his pity,
she didn't need it. Unconsciously, Clare sat down next to Alonso, dismissing her mother completely. But
Michelle wasn't having that, she stopped right in front of Clare, her commanding voice in full force, “We
are leaving now, we can talk on the way.”
Clare shook her head, “So you just thought you could play me? Clare the unwanted daughter, let me
punish the bitch, lemme not tell her, THAT SHE HAS A BROTHER!” People in the ice-cream shop
turned around to look at Clare who was without a doubt making a scene. She was aware that she in
fact was making a scene but just didn't care.
Clare ignored the onlookers and glowered at Kalbreal, “And you, correct me if I'm wrong.” She laughed
at the obscenity of how it happened, but dropped her voice, “This morning when you saw me, you knew
who I was, you could have said something, but you chose not to, instead you brushed it off, acting as if
you’d never seen me in your life. My question for you is, did you get your kick out of it? Was that
apology worth anything?” She asked in a hostile manner,
The arrogant ass grinned at her, grinned! Seriously? “Really? you wanna have this conversation NOW,
in front of her?” He answered in a hushed voice with a question of his own, not wanting the others to
hear him. She frowned and shrugged, “Well you did make it known that I am by far not your type, so
yes, I want to know now!”
Alonso snorted a laugh under his breath, “LIAR”
Before Kalbreal could reply Michelle screeched, “Kalbreal is the guy? Oh, come on Clare, a guy with
piercings and gingered hair, really?”
Clare snapped, “Now you wanna lecture me, you LIED to me woman. On top of that, I was played for a
fool by these idiots, and you want to give me grief about my choice in men?”
Kalbreal smiled at Clare, in awe, “Well I did save her life twice, just saying.”
Her mother shot a blatant look at Kalbreal, “I’m thankful for that, but it doesn’t mean you have full rights
to her, Kalbreal. We all know about your kind and their history with our women, and Clare is certainly
not going to be one of your playmates or weekend pastime.”
Clare looked at Kalbreal, focusing on one thing, “When was the second time?”
“Not here, let’s go” he said. Kalbreal looked almost, tainted.
His narrowed gaze aimed at her mother, “I shall remember that hostility the next time you are praying
for a miracle Franchesca Draiken.”
He turned to Clare, his voice held the same power she’d felt when he took her home, “Stop this. You
don’t really have much to be upset about, it is Nathan who had to grow up without a mother after all,
not you, and I am sure if you allowed your mother to explain you would realize that there is always
more to the story, isn’t that right Franchesca.”
He turned to look at Michelle.
Clare was speechless as he finished his ice cream, got up, and gave his hand out to her. She was
about to touch it with her fingers when he pulled his away, “Sorry, I have this thing about touching the
unmarked.”
Michelle insisted Kalbreal and Alonso follow them in a separate car. Nathan must’ve known his mother
had a bad temper because he didn't even bother saying anything when she handed him the keys to the
car.
Her mother only spoke to Nathan once in the car to give him directions which somehow grated on
Clare’s nerves. Clare was relieved to see him smiling while he drove, and clamped her mouth shut.
She wasn't angry at her brother. Kalbreal wasn't lying when he said she was the lucky ones, but just as
she realized that curiosity won out, “Does your mother know what a crazy son she has, looking for
weapons in a church?”
He shrugged, smiling in the rear-view mirror, “I never said I'm sane, but I'm sure she figured it out.”
Clare addressed her mother for the first time since they had left the mall, “Why did Kalbreal call you
Franchesca?”
“Clare, it’s complicated, Nathan lives with.” She paused, “your father. We separated after the accident,
well actually…” her mother sighed, “It wasn't an accident Clare, somebody was trying to kill you. I’ll
explain, you’ll understand and I’ll answer all your questions honey, I promise, just, let’s get back to the
apartment.”
Clare screeched, “Trying to KILL me and what, you just stumbled on telling me, what eight years later?”
Nathan’s voice drafted through the car, “We’ve all made sacrifices, you should be grateful you had a
normal life,”
She snapped, “Grateful. I spent eight years living a lie. Being controlled. I don’t consider my life the
least bit normal. I have amnesia, I can’t even remember my own father. I had an accident with no damn
scar to even remind me of the loss, is that normal? How could I ever be normal.”
Not wanting Nathan to see her this way, the moment they reached the apartment and the car switched
off she jumped out and slammed the door, denting the side of it. Clare didn’t notice, but her brother did,
as she turned her face towards the sun’s rays.
“I see you got your temper from your mother,” smiling as he pointed out.
Clare snorted, the mother she knew was a lie. She thought her mother was a person who would never
just leave her children. But not only did her mother leave one child, but she also separated them. She
took Clare’s brother away from her, and Clare wouldn't forgive her for that. Because there she was,
with a brother she didn’t know, and a memory forgotten like a bag of old clothes shoved in the darkest
corner of a wardrobe. Why was this happening now?
Clare wouldn't allow herself to be overwhelmed. Deep down she knew that there were frightening truths
that dwelled in the air waiting to be unleashed on to her, and above all that, now stood a boy, a person
who didn’t grow up with a mother, but knew that they existed.
What could have been the reason for her mother’s biggest betrayal, WHAT could be the reason for
abandoning her son?.
Heading upstairs. The sound of their feet thumping as they hit the ground, her brother and mother
walking in uttered silence from one step to another.
Finally at the top floor feeling as though she was approaching a trap set especially for her, something
which she would never come out of Clare lowered her pace. Taking deep breaths of air whilst trying to
control the hammering of her heart inside her chest.
Nathan noticed her panic and fell into step beside her, leaving her mother to look for her keys, as they
walked towards the apartment door,
“You don’t choose your family, sister, but forgiveness is strengthened in numbers, remember that will
you.”
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