MEMORIES

Lias pov

Saturday morning is my favorite day of the week. Yay, I can prepare whatever breakfast I want and go relax by the pool and busk like an old lady with no worry in this world. As always, I'm the first person to wake up, then I get ready. I enter the kitchen and connect my phone to a speaker and play my playlist. I sing along as I prepare breakfast and clean around. Three long hours later, I was done cleaning and mopping. I ate my breakfast and headed to the swimming pool.

I swim some laps, then I go busking in this beautiful sun. Nothing can ruin this day. The rest will follow me, so no need to disturb their sleep. They deserve it. It's been a long week for all of them. I close my eyes and go back to slumber, a sweet dreamless sleep.

I jolt awake as I hear gasps coming beside me. I cover my body with my gown before looking. I look up and I see the twins tracing scars on the boys' backs. I see new scars which I've never seen before. The scars that gave me nightmares every night, they had them. I don't realize what I am doing until I reach them and trace the scars just to make sure I am not dreaming.

They jump and gasp after feeling my hands on them, " Hey sis, w-we thought you were sleeping, a-a-and we just wanted to swim and relax for a bit. W-we didn't see you there." they stuttered while covering their backs from me. I had seen enough to know what those scars meant, because I have those same scars all over my body.

By now, we've attracted Ronia, who is holding on to the twins, who are in tears. "What's happening here, why are you all crying," He asks and wipes away tears from the twins' cheeks. I am so lost in my anger. Nothing is registering in my mind. I look at the boys and ask," for how long?" " It's in the past, Lia, and we are good now." Achi says while sniffling.

" FOR HOW LONG GODDAMNIT!" I am beyond angry, my whole body is shaking from my pent up anger and rage. " U-uum after I turned twelve and Achi when he turned ten." Lechi says stuttering. " When, when were you going to tell me!" I ask them feeling like a failure, I wasn't there for them when they needed me the most. What kind of sister am I if I can't protect my brothers?

" You were coming for us either way, if we told you you couldn't have finished your degree. You would have dropped everything to come get us." Achi said, wiping tears from his cheeks. " Yes, I will drop everything and anything to just come and save you. You two are my everything and I love you like crazy but you decided to suffer so that I get a degree! Then what huh! Live with scars like me, reminding you every day how the person who is supposed to love you and protect you in this whole world is the same person hurting you!" I snorted and walked away from them.

It hurt too much to look at them, I need to get out of here otherwise I'm going to blow up with this anger. I go grab my keys and phone and rush out. I decided to just drive and not look back.

The boy's pov (Lechi and Achi)

We looked at her retreating back, we knew she was hurting. But we couldn't just let her drop her education. She'd gotten into Colombia university and it was a full-paid scholarship. We could not just let her give up on that.

" What just happened, why was she so mad at you guys and what's with the scars?" Ronia asked. The twins are now quiet and looking between us and their dad. We sighed and walked to the house and sat on the bean bags in the living room, we have to tell Ronia our parts and Lia would tell him her part.

"We were raised by Lia, she is all we've ever known as a mother and our big sister. She took on both roles and she was really good at them. We were never told the whole story, but what we know is that our birth mother used to beat and torture us because of our dead beat dad, who we had never seen. We were starved also, though that was after she chased Lia away from home when she turned sixteen." Lechi said, sniffling.

We told Ronia everything from the beatings to the drugs to the branding. Yes, that woman used to brand us with a metal rod that left a marking like a star after healing.

" I don't know what to tell you, but the twins went through the same thing three years ago, but I found out before it got worse. Healing was a long process and they had nightmares for a whole year. I am sorry you had to go through all that, no child should be treated like that." Ronia said softly with unshed tears.

The twins fell asleep on the coach so they didn't hear anything, otherwise they would have nightmares for weeks. We excuse ourselves to go rest in our rooms. Opening that door to our past is overwhelming and tiring. We know Lia will need hours before she goes back to her usual self.

Romania's pov

What have these people been through? I don't know how to comfort them, my Lia. I hope she will be fine. She is so strong and a happy person you wouldn't even know how much pain she's in. It's like dealing with the twins all over again. I can still hear their screams that horrific day. Eva was beating them and kicking them like she was kicking balls.

Xandria came out with a split lip and bruises all over her body and Xander was worse because he was taking all the blows, from broken ribs to broken arms and a concussion. If I hadn't arrived on time, they would've been dead. For God's sake, they were only three and my babies loved her. They had a mother to love them but she turned out to be a monster.

Xander stopped talking ever since that day and he was the active twin. He has hated women ever since until Lia and I pray she brings back my son. I see the way he looks at her as she is the only thing that matters. He will be torn when she finishes her job and moves back to her house and takes her brothers with her.

No! I have to make her stay, make all of them stay. I'm attracted to her and I love the way she is with the twins. I know I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions about her because Eva was sweet at first, then she became clingy and territorial. She didn't want to see the twins near me when she was home. I was so stupid and blind I didn't see the signs and they were clear as day.

I trust Lia because of Xander. He was the first one to trust her and that silly crush he had, but now I know it wasn't a crush, Lia had awoken the old Xander. The cheery and fun-loving boy. I smile at the memory of the little monster he used to play pranks on us.

I take the twins to my room to sleep there as we all wait for Lia. I just hope she will be okay by the time she comes back. We can even skip the party and stay at home to be with her. She is our rock. She doesn't know it but she holds us together and gives us the strength to go on with our lives. She is the ray of sun and joy in our dark lives. I have fallen for her and I really don't know how and when, but I'm scared of rejection. It will break me if she says no.

Lia's pov

I don't know where I am driving to but I find myself on the outskirts of the city surrounded by trees and silence. Everything comes crushing back and I cry my heart out. It's like someone just ripped my heart out and stumped on it. Why give this life if suffering is all we get? Why would someone leave the person they claimed to love just to go and claim to love another? How does this world work? How does this love work?

It hurts to know my brothers were being beaten and tortured when I wasn't around, but she promised to never do that to them. I even promised to help with the bills just to keep her away from the boys. She broke it. She will pay for all this. I promise you, Sarah, you will pay for breaking your promise to me and you will pay for hurting them.

I wipe my tears and collect my emotions and wrap them up in a box and put them close. After this job, I will go get her and she will regret ever adopting me. I will ruin her so-called life. I have enough evidence to last her years in prison, but right now, I want more than just prison for her. She must suffer before she goes there.

Then we will give Tony a visit. I smirked darkly, imagining the look on his stupid face. That man has no right to be a father, especially a happy father. Karma will get you Tony, Karma is coming and it's a bitch. I promise you will regret everything you put us through, even what you put Sarah through!

I smile as I pick up my phone and dial a certain number. It's been years since we talked. He took me in at sixteen and helped me finish high school.