Page 65 of Chase

“Nonna?” I call out as soon as I open the front door to her cozy cottage, the perfect setting for a fairy tale.

“We’re in here, darling,” Nonna replies with a croaky cough.

I wince over how weak she sounds, but as soon as I see her, I pretend it doesn’t scare the hell out of me. I have so few people who I care about in this world, and I don’t want to lose any of them.

“I believe things have spiced up between the two of you?” Nonna arches her eyebrow with a mischievous smirk.Yes, you loveable old woman, your dastardly plan worked perfectly.

She chuckles over the fact our expressions say it all. Clapping her hands, she grabs hold of Theo’s cheek and kisses him. Then she stands and grips hold of me with as much force as she is able before kissing me smack on the lips.

Theo begins to shift uncomfortably inside of his seat, it being much too small for him. He raises his hand, as though to cough, but ends up noisily clearing his throat instead.

“Iz,” he says, sounding hoarse and full of anxiety. I turn to look at him with a frown taking over my face, wondering what could have happened to have him sounding so concerned after only an hour away from one another. “I have something to tell you and I’m not sure how you’re going to take it,” he begins, and I feel every muscle tightening up in nervous anticipation. At my silence, he continues. “I only discovered this information recently, a mere few days ago. I swear I haven’t held it from you to deceive you, I just wanted a day or two to work out how to tell you--”

“Spit it out, boy, I’m already old,” Nonna sighs and I can’t help but giggle at her. The corner of his mouth rises for a brief moment before he recalls the task at hand and returns to his hard, serious expression.

“I don’t think your mom is, in actual fact, your biological mother,” he says directly to me, causing my smile to drop.

“Come again?” I question this bizarre turn of events, not being entirely convinced of what he just said in the space between us. He gets to his feet, almost unfolding himself before walking over from the ill-fitting armchair, and kneels before me, clasping my hands inside of his much bigger ones.

“When I went to see Ethan, he said something strange, something about you looking different to the rest of them. The bastard refused to explain himself, so after hours of thinking of nothing else, I showed a picture of the three of you to Daniel,” he says, wincing when my eyes widen over the involvement of an outsider. “He saw what I couldn’t, Iz. You all have Chase features, but you are the only one who looks nothing like your mother.”

He licks his lips as soon as he finishes, all the while my mouth hangs open in shock, wondering what to make of all this. The room stays silent for a long time, no one is sure of what to say or what to do, least of all me. Theo moves into the seat beside me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. I hang my head down, keeping my eyes on my hands, two tangible things that I know are real and true. Eventually, however, it is Nonna who decides to break the silence.

“Izzy, my darling, I’m afraid it’s true,” she says so quietly, you would have trouble hearing the exact words if you hadn’t any interest in the subject. Our heads whip up to look at her, to which she hunches her already small frame. “Sheisn’tyour real mother.”

“Wait, what?” I snap as I get to my feet and have a strange urge to slap the palms of my hands against my thighs, making a loud cracking noise vibrate across the room.

“Your father had an affair,” she admits. “When yourbiological mother sent a letter to your father, Alex was the one who opened it; she threatened to leave him. The atmosphere in that house was heavy…stifling. An atmosphere they didn’t bother to try and hide from your brother and sister. Your father promised her it was just a one-time thing, a mistake, but Alex was hurt,deeplyhurt. As they tried to work through the wreckage of their marriage, Ethan became an angry little boy, while Tilly became almost entirely neglected by your distraught mother. Fortunately, she was very young and probably wasn’t as affected as much as Ethan.”

“Go on,” I demand through clenched teeth.

“When Ethan’s school got involved, your parents decided to seek counseling. After which, they worked hard to get their marriage back together for the sake of Ethan and Tilly,” she sighs. “It was still very strained, but it was working. Alex felt so guilty for her inattention to Ethan and Tilly that she gave up her career and decided to stay at home for a few years. She doted on them, spoiled them, worshipped them. Tilly was a happy toddler again, but Ethan just clung to Alex. He tolerated Tilly but otherwise, he continued to be furious with everyone else. Of course, years of playing his violent video games and watching films far too old for him didn’t exactly help his desire for violence and fury.”

Bile begins to bubble up from my stomach, my hands are trembling, and I can already feel hot tears streaming down my face. But I keep silent and force myself to listen until the end.

“Eighteen months later, your biological mother, a woman whom your father refuses to reveal, turned up with you inside of her arms. She told your father that for the sake of her marriage, she could no longer keep you.”

My hands ball into fists and I know my jaw is tense fromthe anger burning inside of me, but Theo’s grip on me does not falter.

“Your parents never really recovered, and I suspect it is the reason your siblings resent you somewhat. Ethan knows, of course; he was old enough to witness it all. Tilly was told some years ago.”

“But me, the one who it affects the most? I was kept in the dark!” I snap as I begin pacing around the room. “Them, I can understand, Nonna, but you? You kept this from me. Why?”

I march around before coming to a stop in front of her. She looks so small, so suddenly older than she was when I first got here. I am both furious and terrified when I look at her.

“Because I’ve been worried about you, Izzy! So, so worried, and I was terrified that if I told you this, it would finish you off. It’s why I contacted Theo and made this deal with you both. Once I saw you settled and happy, then I was going to tell you.”

“Blow your stupid deal!” I shout. “I want nothing to do with it, nothing! Keep your deceitful money and leave me the hell alone!”

“Izzy,” Theo pipes up all of a sudden, but I ignore him and instead, continue to glare at her, the woman who has kept something so powerful from me. “Izzy, listen!”

“No, Theo, you mustn’t,” Nonna cries, setting my heart to racing again.

“Mustn’t what?” I turn to look at him with my heart sinking; I have a horrible feeling he is about to betray me too. Staring at the floor with his hands linked together, I instantly know my fears are about to be confirmed.

“The deal was my idea,” he says, “Grandma doesn’t have millions of pounds, I do. If it didn’t work, I was going to give you the money anyway. It would have been my deceitful money, not hers.”

“No, no, no, not you too,” I sob, “please, not you too!”

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