Page 96 of Bastian

Innocent people lost their lives.

A boy lost everything.

“Shit. Fuck you, Gabriele.” Wherever the hell you are. I hope you are suffering. I hope you never find a peaceful moment until the day you die, and when that happens, I really do hope you burn in hell.

Turning the engine on, I wait for the car to roar to life, and then I am hightailing out of there on my way to work. Like every day since I’ve arrived, I look through my Fairview mirror and spot a black car tailing me. It took me a while to catch up to the fact that I was being followed, not only here but in Greece as well.

Now everywhere I go, men are hiding in plain sight and following me. His men. It would’ve been obvious if he had assigned Benjamin, so he did the opposite and assigned someone who isn’t usually seen or pictured with him. That’s why I missed them before, but after Greece and yesterday spotting the handsome man from Greece, Ares, if I’m remembering correctly, I pieced it together.

A robotic voice sounds from my car’s speakers, interrupting my train of thought. “Incoming email.” My heart stops when I hear that.

Like every time I get an incoming message, I wonder if is it from him.

I usually wait until I get to my office to answer or read work emails, but this time I don’t.

With one hand on the wheel and the car steady, I tap the screen to have a look at the email address. I instantly feel disappointed when the email is not from him, but when I take a second look, my heart stops in my chest.

From: stelinainthesky

Stelina.

I must be hallucinating this because how? How did she find me? Why now?

I shouldn’t read it. I should not put my heart through more agony, but I’m a masochist when it comes to my sisters. My love for them is greater than my hate for my father, and I guess that’s how I know he didn’t win.

But then this could be a trick. How do I know it is truly her?

Tapping on the message, the voice in the car reads it aloud.

“Is it one day yet?”

One day.

Someday.

“Mila…” I breathe out her name in a broken whisper. Mila. My stelina. How I’ve hurt you… because after three years of torturing myself with her letters, I’ve come to realize how much I hurt my baby sister. She did nothing wrong, nothing, and for my survival and hers, I ultimately ended up hurting her. I am not perfect. I am who I am, and I never tend to make excuses for my actions, but hurting my sister is something that has haunted me for so long, and now having her reach out with something only she or our middle sister would know has me feeling hopeful.

Hope that maybe I wasn’t so horrible after all.

Maybe my coldness and my actions haven’t caused her to lose faith in me.

Stop loving me.

A tear falls, but I quickly wipe it away.

I am no longer that girl that was silenced and made to behave. I am no longer someone held back by powerful men.

No.

I stayed away because I felt like she was better without me. Without being reminded of so much pain, she, as always, my beautiful little star, so brave and compassionate, made the first move.

Now, I can either ignore her message and carry on with my life with half of me missing, or I can finally do what’s right and make amends. Amends and make myself whole again. And I won’t ever be whole without her.

Hitting the gas pedal, I race to the office with a new purpose.

It dawns on me how Sebastian did the same to keep me from him. Keep me safe from his world out of fear and because he wanted more for me. Ironic that’s the same case with my baby sister.

We do stupid things for the ones we love, and we also do very stupid things when we think they’re better off.

---