“What’s going on, Ella?”
As Ella was packing her suitcase for her departure the next day, she tried to ignore her sister, who was lying on the bed.
Ella glanced up fleetingly, admiring the colourful swirls on Victoria’s headscarf. Regardless of how sick she was, and with no hair, Victoria still managed to convey a sense of elegance. Ella was almost envious, which was crazy considering how unwell Victoria was.
Ella zipped the suitcase shut and dragged it onto the floor before flopping onto the bed beside her sister.
“Please don’t lie to me. You never have before.” Victoria said.
Ella sighed. It’d been the longest two weeks of her life. Since learning of her father’s identity, she and Zane had spent every spare moment gathering information before they left for Boston.
Ella wanted to be prepared. She wanted the upper hand. It was her usual way.
Rolling onto her side, she took Victoria’s hands in her own. Zane’s warning ran riot in her head. Best we don’t tell our mothers we’re going to Boston.
“You’re not going to Hawaii, are you?”
Ever so slowly, Ella shook her head.
Victoria gasped. “What are you doing? Is it something illegal?”
“No,” Ella yelped, squeezing her hands around Victoria’s before releasing them and groaning into her own. She didn’t need her mother to race into the room at this crucial point.
“Are you in trouble?” Victoria asked.
Ella opened her arms and beckoned for Victoria to lie against her. Ella tucked her sister’s face beneath her chin. “Vic, I’m not in trouble and I’m not doing anything illegal.” She squeezed her closer and added, “You have to trust me on this.”
Holding Victoria this way, she was reminded of the many nights her sister would sneak into her bed when they were younger. They’d shared a bedroom, and there had been many mornings when Ella would wake to find Victoria’s tiny body tucked up against her own.
She slid back and pinned her gaze on Victoria’s soft hazel eyes. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get back. Please don’t keep asking me. I made a promise that I wouldn’t say anything until I returned.”
Victoria’s brow creased. “What if there’s an emergency? Can’t you leave details of where you’re going and staying so we can contact you? Put it in an envelope and seal it. I won’t open it unless I have no other choice.”
Ella sagged back onto the mattress. Victoria had a point, and if she promised not to show anyone, where was the harm?
“I won’t say another word, but I know you’re keeping something from Mum.”
Ella’s eyes opened wide.
“I also know this has something to do with finding your father. I’ve been sick, but not enough to notice the questions you’ve been asking Mum lately.”
Ugh. “No, it’s …”
Victoria put her fingers to Ella’s mouth and silenced her words of protest. Not that Ella had any idea what she’d been about to say.
“Shh. Don’t say anything. I hope you find him, and that it makes you happy and complete.”
Why did she have the best sister in the world? And why was the universe doing everything possible to take her away? She couldn’t help the morbid thoughts that followed. She was the one who should be struck down with cancer and made to leave this world early. That old song her mother used to sing, ‘Only The Good Die Young,’ had never rung so true.
Her chest shook with an involuntary shiver. What was it? Was it the pressure of not being able to share her new discovery? The fear of what she would learn? Or knowing that her sister knew her better than she thought? She tried to hold her emotions together. Clenched her hands into tight balls and worked damn hard to keep it in.
Her sister’s concern only hastened the arrival of Ella’s tears and they streamed down her face. She risked fracturing the sacred circle of her tight-knit family. She almost didn’t want to know the reasons her mother had left her old life but talking to her at this stage would only create more havoc.
Go to Boston, she told herself, come back and then talk. If the truth was revealed there’d be no need for any more secrets.
Victoria held her close, muffling the sound of her crying. She always knew what to do, how to help.
Was all this effort to find her father worth it? What about the introduction of her half-siblings to their family?
At least Victoria promised not to ask further questions.
Morbid thoughts returned—what if Victoria’s health declines and we don’t get the chance to share this closeness again?—which brought on a fresh rush of tears. Ella was soon exhausted and couldn’t decipher what she was crying about. Her head was a jumbled mess, and fear refused to dislodge itself from her chest. She could very well be the one to destroy her happy family. Zane had given her enough warnings and scenarios.
Her thoughts returned to her father. The frightening volume of information she and Zane had sourced about him alarmed her. It wasn’t always good; occasionally words like ‘scandal’ were used in articles about him, which caused unease to settle close to home. She couldn’t understand the problems only the rich were exposed to. Public image was everything, or so it seemed.
She hoped the media had it wrong. Wasn’t it normal to prey on the famous and wealthy? A huge percentage of stories the media published were hyped-up untruths, so she was prepared to give her father the benefit of the doubt. She would make up her own mind once she met him.
A tiny voice pushed her to persist and not turn her back on the idea of travelling to Boston. She’d been hoping her father might offer to pay for the best medical team and leave no stone unturned when it came to Victoria’s treatment. In the early days, after the diagnosis, Ella had dreamed of winning the lottery and having all the money in the world to treat her sister. Reality though could be a kick in the guts and she hadn’t hesitated to help her mother cover some of the medical costs.
The question, though, that kept Ella up at night, twisting and turning, and haunted her into the small hours was would life be the same when she returned in a week’s time? It was the unknown territory of Boston that she feared most. She should just talk to her mother. It was the obvious thing to do. But then what? Would her mother continue to lie? Would she tell lies to cover lies so the truth never came out? Would she paint a horrible picture of her father and scare her from ever meeting him?
It was Ella’s dream to find her biological father, so it was time for her chin-up and can-do attitude. What was the worst that could happen? If he wanted nothing to do with her, she’d live with it and never look back, but at least she could say she’d tried.
So engrossed with her own thoughts, Ella momentarily forgot where she was until Victoria made to get up. Ella’s tears had slowed and she used her shirt to mop up some of the moisture.
“You’ll only be gone a week, Sis. You’ll be home before we know it, and we’ll both lie here on this very bed laughing at what all the fuss was about. He can only be human, right?”
Victoria’s practical approach to life never failed to amaze Ella. Considering the awful days she endured, she never missed an opportunity to make others feel better.
Ella gave her a lop-sided smile. She sat up, put her arms around Victoria’s shoulders and hugged hard.
“I’m sorry. I promised not to pry, but do you know who he is?” Victoria asked.
Victoria’s out-of-the-blue question startled Ella, but without hesitation she nodded.
“Right. I want a full report when you get back.” Victoria laughed at her own bossiness. On her way out, she halted at the door. “Don’t forget that information for me. Leave the envelope under your pillow. I’ll come and get it when you’re gone and put it in a safe place.” Before she closed the door, she said, “I’ll give Mum a hand with dinner. Come down as soon as you look decent.”
Ella chuckled. No doubt she had puffy eyes. “Okay, thanks.”
Ella flopped onto the bed, her thoughts switching to Zane. It had been hard to find time to spend together during the past two weeks and she suffered because of it. She closed her eyes and wound her arms around her pillow. It was easy to bring his essence to life; she fed off her feelings and thoughts when they were apart. His stubble against her cheek, his legs against hers, his mouth playing over her face. Ugh. She didn’t want to cope without him.
He said he’d organise their flights and accommodation so she could concentrate on her research. He’d also promised his boss that he’d work overtime in preparation for his absence. It all amounted to less time together.
A shiver of apprehension zapped along her breastbone. They planned on sharing the same room to save costs, and this might be the time to show Zane how she felt about him. Every minute they spent together reaffirmed how much they suited each other. Did he feel the same way? They never spoke of love or the future. Their time was consumed with finding their fathers and unlocking the secret they’d stumbled across. Was it a crazy idea to travel to Boston with a virtual stranger? Maybe. Would she change her mind? Never. They shared a kindred spirit, and any doubts they were siblings had been squashed. One glimpse at Ella’s father and they’d known with certainty that he couldn’t also be Zane’s.
Ella had spent hours trawling the internet and had been able to gather much information on her father. She’d followed his political career, researched the companies he was associated with and learned of other immediate family members. They all seemed to be an integral part of Boston society.
She rolled onto her back, flung the pillow aside and stared at the ceiling. Her mother’s reluctance to talk stung. Ever since Ella had uttered the name ‘Isabella’ a barrier had risen between them. Ella had noticed it straight away. Her sisters hadn’t sensed it, but for Ella, her mother may as well have speared her through the chest. The effect was much the same. They warily stepped around each other and their conversations were stilted and awkward. It didn’t help that Ella was glued to her laptop for hours on end.
She hadn’t dared check if the little box of evidence was still hidden in the wardrobe. Her mother would’ve guessed where she’d learned the name, but why say nothing? Had she deduced something about this holiday, as Victoria had?
Ella exhaled, pressing her fingers down on her scalp.
This week she would keep her promise—to say nothing to her mother until Victoria finished her round of chemo.
Next week might be different.