Chapter 38: Something is wrong

I immediately walk toward her.

"Oli."

She smiles when she sees me.

"Hi."

I pull her into a hug and she wraps her arms around me.

I hold her tightly, maybe a little too tightly but I don’t care.

"I don’t want you to go."

She laughs softly against my shoulder.

"You know I had to."

"I know."

I pull away and hold her by the shoulders.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Her eyes flick toward Lysander then back to me.

"I’m okay."

I search her face.

"Really?"

She nods.

"Really."

Something about her answer bothers me.

I lower my voice.

"Olivia, if you don’t want to go, tell me."

Her expression softens.

"Rissa..."

"I’m serious."

"I know."

"If something happened last night..."

She immediately shakes her head.

"Nothing happened."

I stare at her and when she looks away my suspicion grows.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She reaches for my hand.

"I’m fine."

I squeeze her fingers.

"You always say that."

"And you always worry too much."

"Because you’re my sister."

She smiles.

"I know."

For a moment, neither of us speaks.

Then she leans closer.

"I’m going to be okay."

I want to believe her.

God, I want to but there’s still a voice in the back of my mind telling me something isn’t right.

I look past her at Lysander.

He’s standing a few feet away, watching us his expression is unreadable.

I don’t like him and I don’t trust him.

But somehow, looking at him now, I don’t see the smug satisfaction I expected.

He looks almost...Bored.

Like this entire situation is an inconvenience.

I don’t know what that means and I don’t have time to figure it out as Olivia pulls me into another hug.

I close my eyes.

"If anything happens, you call me."

"I will."

"Anytime."

"I know."

"I don’t care what time it is."

She smiles.

"I know, Rissa."

"I’ll come get you."

She pulls back.

"I know you would."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

Then she turns toward Lysander, he holds out his hand.

She looks at it for a moment then takes it.

Something about the sight hurts, shhe’s really going.

My sister is leaving with the man who was once our enemy....who probably still is.

Lysander leads her toward the car and I watch every step.

He opens the back door for her, Olivia gets inside, I expect him to follow but he doesn’t.

He closes the door and walks around to the front and gets into the driver’s seat.

I take a step closer to the car and she notices me through the window.

Our eyes meet then she smiles a small smile.

She raises her hand and waves at me and I wave back.

As the car begins moving, I stand there watching as it drives through the gates.

Lysander doesn’t look back but Olivia does.

She keeps looking at me through the rear window until the car disappears from sight.

I remain standing there long after they’ve gone, wondering if I should go after them.

——————

I can’t believe it’s been two months since Olivia got married.

Two whole months.

I certainly can’t believe it’s been two whole months since I’ve seen my sister....two months since I hugged her, two months since I heard her laugh in person.

And I hate every second of it.

Uncle Lorenzo made sure of that. The morning after Olivia left with Lysander, I tried to visit her but he stopped me, I tried again a few days later, he stopped me again.

Eventually, he made the rule very clear.

I wasn’t allowed on Sanchez grounds and Olivia wasn’t allowed back here.

His excuse?

"She needs time to settle in."

Settle in. As if Olivia had moved into some normal home after getting married to some normal man, as if she wasn’t living with a Sanchez.

I hated it.

I argued of course, I shouted, I even threatened to sneak out and go see her myself.

Lorenzo didn’t care.

He simply told me that if I crossed onto Sanchez property without permission, he’d have me dragged back himself.

So I stayed because I had no choice.

I’ve tried calling Olivia. Sometimes she answers, sometimes she doesn’t and whenever she does, she always tells me she’s fine.

Always.

I’m fine, Rissa. Everything is okay.

I hate those words now.

Because something about them never sounds right. Maybe I’m just paranoid, maybe I’m overthinking everything.

But I know my sister and I know when she’s hiding something.

Today, I’m sitting in my room when my phone rings.

I glance at the screen to see it’s Uncle Lorenzo calling.

I almost ignore it.

He’s probably calling to give me another lecture about something but the phone keeps ringing.

I finally answer.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

His voice is sharp.

I sit up.

"I’m in my room."

"Get to THE house."

I frown.

"I’m already in the house."

That’s right....after Oli left uncle poured his undivided attention on me, forcing me to move back into the house. He hates me here as much as I hate it here. But oh well.....

"Now, Nerissa."

Something about his tone makes me straighten.

"What happened?"

"Just come."

"Uncle..."

He hangs up.

I stare at my phone.

What the hell?.

I immediately get up, I don’t even bother changing, I throw on a pair of shoes and rush downstairs.

My heart is already beating faster than it should.

I reach the main hallway and nearly run into one of the guards.

"What’s going on?"

He looks at me then quickly looks away.

"Where’s Uncle Lorenzo?"

"In the main room."

I hurry there.

The moment I step through the doorway, I stop.....

I hear a voice I haven’t heard in two months.

My entire body freezes.

"Rissa?"

I know that voice, I know it better than I know my own.

My heart rate picks up.

"Olivia?"

I push through the people and there she is.

My sister.

She’s Standing in the middle of the room and for one second, relief floods through me so hard I almost laugh.

I start toward her but then I stop, something is wrong....very wrong.

She doesn’t look like the Olivia who left this house two months ago. Her eyes are tired, her face is pale, she looks chubby?....what the hell are they feeding her over there.

I take another step toward my sister.

"Oli?"

She looks at me and her lips tremble.

And suddenly, I know.

Whatever happened over these past two months...It wasn’t good, not even close.