Page 75 of Semper

“Adelita was a close friend of mine in high school,” she started, leaning back in her seat. “That’s how she believed she met my brother, Draven.”

I felt Alexander’s mother—Adelita—shift slightly beside me, her eyes still on me, but Beatrice continued without pause.

“Truth be told,” Beatrice added with a conspiratorial wink, “her story is a lot like yours. She and her sister are Asmos’, the last of them. That’s relevant.”

I blinked, trying to piece it together.Asmos'?I’d never heard the term before, but something about the way she said it made me think it wasn’t just a family name. It was heavier, more significant, like the weight of ancient history wrapped up in a single word.

Beatrice watched my expression closely, then went on. “Well, her sister, Isabel, was dating a real nasty piece of work called Troy—and also cheating on him with Adelita’s dear friend, and mine, Kyle.”

She paused, her eyes scanning my face to understand. “Are you following so far?” she asked, her voice light but with an edge, as if what she was telling me held more weight than just a complicated love triangle.

I nodded slowly, though my mind raced to keep up. “I think so,” I said, my voice hesitant. There was more to this than I could see, but I sensed that the history she was weaving was leading somewhere... and it involved me.

Beatrice's gaze softened, and she gave me a reassuring smile. “Good. Because the story doesn’t end there.”

She took a sip of her drink, her eyes glimmering with something between nostalgia and something darker as she continued. “Well, Isabel wound up pregnant, and Kyle knew she would need to be brought back to the Isle. This was before it became what it is today—back when things were a lot more complicated. Many things were different.”

She gave me a small, knowing smile, like she was letting me in on some long-buried secret. “It worked out well since Adelita was in a relationship with Draven—though, admittedly, she didn’t know at the time that he wasDiabolus,” Beatrice paused, her laugh light but carrying a hint of the gravity behind her words. “Anyway, they were brought to the Isle. Isabel wasn’t the happiest here. Her now ex, Troy—well, he was dead by then. And eventually, she lost her tongue. But don’t worry, that didn’t slow her down any.”

She stopped, her expression shifting briefly as a flicker of sadness crossed her face before she pushed through it and continued. “Isabel wound up losing the baby,” Beatrice said softly, her tone carrying more weight now. “Shortly after that, a certain someone helped her escape.” She shot a playful glance at Adelita, her words laced with a joking tone.

Alexander’s mother, Adelita, shifted slightly but didn’t speak.

The tension in the room thickened, and I found myself holding my breath. I glanced between them, trying to process the weight of what Beatrice was telling me. The pieces of this twisted history were falling into place, and it was clear now that Adelita had played a role in helping her sister escape the Isle—a move that went directly against everything this place stood for. What baffled me was the way they spoke about it so casually, like these were just the facts of life. Loss, punishment, and betrayal all wrapped up in a web of relationships and secrets.

Beatrice continued, her tone softening as she delved deeper into the story. “We didn’t see Isa for a long time after that. We sent many to find her, but it wasn’t easy. Eventually, Kyle did. And that’s where you come in.” She smiled, though the warmth of it didn’t reach her eyes. “He lost Isa again before he could bring her back to the Isle. She was good at hiding. So good, infact, that she gave birth to you off the record and raised you for four years before we found her again.”

Beatrice sighed, her gaze flickering with something that felt like regret. “That’s when things got messy. You wound up in the system under a completely different surname, hidden in plain sight. Isa let Kyle find her after that, maybe out of guilt, maybe to tie up loose ends. But then she did something no one expected—she took both of their lives. I can only assume she thought it would keep you far away from here.”

The weight of Beatrice's words pressed down on me, the reality sinking in with every sentence. My mother... she had killed herself and my father to protect me? And didn’t she she’d lost her tongue somehow? I was instantly reminded of Kennedy. The room seemed to close in, the air thick with the truth I hadn’t even known I was missing.

“But that wasn’t her choice to make,” Beatrice said softly, her voice sharpening just a little. “The Isle was rightfully upset. Your bloodline... it’s tied to us in more ways than you realize. That’s how I found you. How we learned about the existence of Lolita.”

I was never meant to escape this.

The thought was the first to rifle through my head.

Beatrice’s voice softened again, but her eyes gleamed with something sharp, something deliberate. “I have vast resources, a network that can find anyone, anywhere. And when I learned about you, it wasn’t tying up loose ends. It was about lineage, legacy.” She paused, watching me closely as if gauging my reaction. “You carry the legacy of Impio in your veins, Lolita. Blood that ties you to us.”

I could barely breathe. My mother had tried to save me, but even in death, she hadn’t been able to keep me from this place, from them.

“For years, we kept track of you,” Beatrice continued. “You grew up oblivious to your true heritage, and we waited—watched. It was only a matter of time before the right moment came to reintroduce you to the Isle. And once I told Alexander of your existence... well,” she smiled again, this time with a hint of pride, “the rest is history.”

Everything around me blurred as her words settled in. They had always known about me, always watching, waiting.

"When we say you're family and we've always wanted you, we mean it," Esther said softly, her eyes warm as she looked at me.

Adelita spoke up for the first time. Her voice was calm, but there was an intensity behind it that cut through the room. "You took the best of both of them," she said, her gaze piercing as she studied my face. “Your mother and father.”

Her words sank in slowly, but when they did, it was like everything around me froze. My mind raced to catch up.

This woman—Adelita—was my aunt.My mother’s only sister. Which meant Alexander was my…cousin? I blinked, my vision swimming for a moment as the room seemed to tilt around me. I glanced at Beatrice, at Esther, at Adelita, trying to find something in their faces that would tell me I was wrong. There was nothing. Only calm acceptance. To them this was the truth I should’ve always known. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest as the pieces of my life shifted, rearranging themselves in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Alexander.

MyAlexander.

My cousin.

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