Triplets for the enemy
> For the kind of love that scars, consumes, and never apologizes.
May you never be free of it.
Chapter one:left in the dark
Of course,let's begin where the scars started,when the story stopped being innocent.
"He called me little flame,
then left me in the dark to burn."
— L.C.
And now, the beginning.
The day he shut the door.
Age 12 — The Basement
The click of the lock was louder than the slam of the door.
It echoed down the concrete walls like a laugh, or maybe a warning. I didn't cry,not at first. Crying would've made it real, and I wasn't ready for that. I still thought if I stayed still enough, quiet enough, he'd change his mind.
He didn't.
"Don't worry, little flame," Adrian had whispered, his voice all sugar and ice. "You'll be fine in the dark."
He didn't look back,and I was too weak to ask him why.
—present day—
I watched as the crowd danced to the classical music in the background,other men were scattered around, having wine and discussing business. It didn't feel like a wedding anniversary at all,it felt more like a tycoons' get-together.
I couldn't shake off the feeling that kept crawling under my skin,the feeling of being watched by prying eyes.
It was like I was the prey being watched by a monster ready to devour.
Unable to shake off the unease,I grabbed my phone from the silver purse I was holding. I dialed Nanny Chrissie's number.
"Hello, Miss Cartier." She greeted,her warm voice putting a smile on my frozen face. "Nanny Chrissie,how are the kids?" I asked,a knot tying in my chest.
"Oh,they're alright Miss,you don't need to worry. Jasmine is asleep,Jake and Jace are watching cartoons" she said, reassuring me.
I could hear faint voices of Jace and Jake in the background. I raised a brow,"don't let them stare at the screen too much" I said. Those three kids were all I had in this world,I had to protect them. I'd let the world burn before anything happens to them.
"Loe! You came". My mother suddenly appeared before me. I quickly cut the call with the Nanny and put on a smile I wasn't sure was real.
She hadn't changed at all,she was still beautiful, energetic and dressed luxuriously.
"When Martinez said he saw you,I couldn't believe it. You actually came back from China" I could see tears in her eyes,I hated seeing her cry.
"What matters is,I'm here now." I placed my hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze."Yes, you're right." She wiped her tears.
"Come now,let's go take a picture. It would've been complete…if Adrian wasn't out of the country for a while." She said,
Adrian!
His absence is the only reason why I decided to come for this anniversary. I couldn't bear the thought of living in his shadow anymore. I quickly smiled,"let's go".
"Loe!" Dad was also happy to see me,he spread his arms and I gave him a hug. "My sweet little pumpkin is back" his eyes were also a bit teary.
Why was everyone tearing up?
Maybe because I disappeared Three years ago without saying anything or leaving a trace.
"Family photo" the photographer ushered us to the fake background to take a picture. "Mr Cartier please stay by the left, Mrs Cartier by the right while she sits in the middle" he directed.
"Taking a family photo without me?"
That voice,I'd remember it anywhere. Adrian!
He actually came. My heart began to pound as so many memories flashed through my eyes like a carousel. One word echoed — little flame!
I quickly looked down,my heart in my throat.
"Oh, Adrian's here,"said Sebastian. "Who's that? Oh,it's you, little sister" his voice was directed at me,cold as ice and laced with venom.
I couldn't find the courage to look my enslaver in the eye. Adrian! He made my childhood a living nightmare. He gave my heart scars that could never heal. I hated him,yet I feared him.
I finally found the courage to look up,"I can't keep hiding forever," I told myself. My eyes widened in shock!
No! Those blue eyes and sharp features. This can't be happening,yet it can't be a coincidence.
Why do my kids look so much like Adrian? The stranger from that night, could it be…No! Never!
Did I commit incest?!
No! it can't be.
But what if it is?
What if the man who ruined me,who fathered my children was actually…
This can't be happening.
It can't be real.
The stranger from that night,the one I never saw clearly
Was it him?
Did I really sleep with Adrian?
My step brother
My tormentor
Did I really commit incest?
My legs felt wobbly as my knees hit the ground,my vision blurred and everything went black.
Adrian's POV
> "I buried the guilt.
But she came back holding the shovel."
— A.W.
I should've stayed in Geneva.
One more hour and I wouldn't have walked into that room—the lie of a family photo, the glint of cameras, the smell of wealth and wine. One more hour and I wouldn't have seen her.
Loe!
Three years, and somehow she still looked like a wound I never let heal.
I saw her before she saw me.Of course I did,I always do.
Her hair was longer now, curled like temptation, her body softer, fuller,like womanhood had wrapped her in velvet and secrets. She stood there in that white dress like a ghost I hadn't earned the right to grieve.
Then she turned,and everything cracked. Those eyes:Hazel, wide and drowning.
Before I could say anything,she fainted. "Loe!" Selene's scream cut the music and everyone turned to look. I just stood there,unshaken,hands in my pocket,cold as ice.
"Call an ambulance" selene grabbed the nearby waiter,"y–yes ma'am " the waiter quickly ran away.
"Get the car!" Sebastian growled. "Oh,my poor baby," Selene sobbed beside Loe. "It's going to be alright Mrs Cartier" the champagne sipping elites were quick to feign sympathy.
Tch! They didn't care! They just want to get close to the Cartier family and gain,it's all politics.
Sebastian walked towards me with a frown. "Adrian,the ambulance is delayed. I've called the family doctor,I need you to take your sister home" he said, voice tight.
I raised a brow at the word 'sister'. I've never really seen Loe as a sister,or Selene as my mother. Loe was just my favorite prisoner.
"I'll take her home as you say,but I want evergreen."
He knew what I wanted,but he wasn't yielding.
"Deal."
I walked towards Loe, selene was still sobbing. "Move!" I commanded,cold and detached,gasps rippled behind me.
Selene flinched but obeyed. I picked Loe up like she weighed nothing and threw her over my shoulder like a towel before walking away.
"Did you see that", someone hissed."Adrian Williams is so disrespectful."
"Don't be stupid",another whispered "he is dark city"
Let them talk,they always do.