Page 26 of Revelation (Love Isn't What It Seems 3)

I couldn’t breathe. All the oxygen wasn’t enough to breathe into my lungs. I stared at Liberty, praying she’d survive what was coming.

“Please,” she begged in a soft voice. Her hand reached out to his and she placed it on his. “If you know something, please, tell us.”

I, on the other hand, wanted to beg him not to tell her. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t lose her too.

He glanced at her hand on his, and Liberty quickly pulled her hand away, apologizing, “Sorry.”

“You are just like your mother. You look like her, yes, but your soul is also a reflection of hers. Your strength though… she didn’t have your strength.”

He was right. Livy was strong; stronger than she gave herself credit for. I sat stiffly, waiting for all the secrets to unravel and destroy this relationship I had with my sister. I should have told her a long time ago, but I didn’t. The fear held me back. I convinced myself having some of her, as her friend, was better than the possibility of losing her. Or worse, her hate.

“Lily’s family forced her marriage,” the man continued, his eyes distant. This man loved Liberty’s mother. I searched my memory for the little I knew. I seemed to remember there was something about Lily Glasgow and -

Oh my God!I remembered now. There was a scandal about a man that Liberty’s mother had an affair with. It was Alexander’s father.Holy fucking shit!

“Her husband had quite a number of affairs. One of those affairs was with your mother, Layla.” I knew that! Bitterness swelled inside me. I craved my parents’ love my whole life but I knew my own father was a piece of shit to put my mom in such a position. He didn’t give two shits about her. I knew without a doubt that if he had lived long enough to have seen me born, he wouldn’t have given two shits about me either. “I am sure you know that since the Cambridges are your grandparents,” he told me. Yes, I did know that, but not from them. They had their son on a pedestal. Everyone else was at fault for their son’s death, including me. “You two are half-sisters.”

I held my breath, watching Liberty’s shocked expression.

“How can that be?” she struggled to comprehend. “I don’t understand. How do you know my mother?”

“The Glasgow property bordered ours. I knew your mother from an early age. Glasgow was your mother’s maiden name. Cambridge was her married last name.”

I stared at this man that was spilling it all out. Why couldn’t he just stop talking? I caught Liberty’s glance, confusion on her face.

“How do you know who my father is? My mom would never tell me.”

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed Liberty a picture. Her hands visibly shook as she reached for it. I closed my eyes. She would see it. Why did it have to happen today?

Not that there was a good day for this to happen!

“Oh my God.” A soft whisper, disbelief evident in her voice. I could see the picture. It was a wedding photo of my father and Liberty’s mother. Even from here, I could see the striking resemblance I had to my father. But I knew it. My mother told me that my whole life; it was a painful reminder to her of the man that didn’t want her.

She went to hand me the picture, but I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to see. Livy stared at me, and I knew she realized I had known this all along.

“I’m sorry, Livy.” The apology was sour in my mouth. It was my own fault. I could have saved us all this if I would have told her. From the moment I met her, I knew she desperately searched for information about her father. Initially, I withheld it because I was jealous. I wanted to be known as the only daughter to my father. But then as she and Lena took me into their little circle, I refused to tell her because I didn’t want to hurt her.

Or maybe I was just a bad person? Maybe that was the accurate explanation and depiction of me.

“Why?” Her voice was barely audible.

“I knew I had a sister out there.” I could barely speak, words heavy on my tongue. My hands shook, scared I’d finally lose her. Something I had feared from the moment we became friends. “I decided to find you. My grandparents always obsessed over their grandchild from Lily Glasgow.” I didn’t want to tell her they didn’t consider me their legitimate grandchild. Yes, I was their blood, but in their eyes I was unworthy. “When I found you, you and Lena pulled me into your circle, and with each day, I loved you both more and more. The more time went by, the less courage I had to tell you.”

“How is this possible?” The question was damning. “How could you lie to me for all those years, Layla?”

The accusation was evident in her voice. She was right. I lied for so long.

“I’m so sorry, Livy.” There were no words of explanations I could give her that could justify what I had done.

“Did my mother know?” she questioned me; both of us knew how she died.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I only met your mom a handful of times but she never led me to believe she knew who I was.”

Besides, I was always careful to stick to my first name and never told her my last name. Our encounters were more in passing.

Alexander’s father took Liberty’s hand into his. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. I was shocked to see you with your half-sister, and I thought you knew about your father. Livy, your grandparents forced Lily’s marriage. It is fairly common in old, established families. We grew up together. I think I loved her then too but didn’t recognize it till she came back. The moment our eyes met for the first time as adults, I fell in love with your mother. I wanted her adoration, her everything. But I was already married and she was promised to someone else. I turned to whiskey while your mom suffered in silence in a loveless and abusive marriage. If only I wasn’t drowning in whiskey, I could have been there for her when she needed me.”

This was way too much information. I knew some of it, but even for me, hearing all this was overwhelming. I couldn’t even imagine how Livy felt.

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