Sister Pact: Surrendering to Mr Snow

CHAPTER TWO: TRUTH

Three months later (Present)

Scarlet was on her way back from work, a million thoughts running through her mind and that was not helping to settle her down.  She had taken the first flight home after doing her sister one last favor. Amber deserved it after everything that Scarlet had done to ruin her and Nick’s relationship.

Whilst she had left her sister’s relationship as one whole rather than broken, Scarlet’s own life had fallen apart. All her life Scarlet had thought that she was a full-blooded Albertson, only for her dreams to be smashed because she was not a real Albertson.

Scarlet knew that she did not have to ask her mother if it were true or not, because there was no way that Amber would lie to her. Amber was mad and at the fit of rage, she spilled the beans on Scarlet’s parentage.

The plane had finally landed and like a zombie, Scarlet grabbed her suitcase and in no time, she was in her rented car driving home. Everything happened like a blur and in just a short amount of hours Scarlet was home, or what used to be home.

She remembered walking throughout this very same mansion being proud of being an Albertson, now she questioned whether she belonged here or not.

Scarlet unlocked the main door using her own keys. She stepped into the house she felt home.

However, it is not your home; you are not even a real Albertson, Scarlet.

Her mind taunted her. Scarlet was once assured of herself but now she felt insecure about everything.

She dropped her luggage on the floor, at the entrance of the door and Scarlet walked in, touching every piece of the house, sinking in all the feeling she once had of belonging here.

“Scarlet” someone called her name and Scarlet shut her eyes’, she did not have to look at who it was because Scarlet knew the sound of that voice from anywhere. It was her mother’s voice, the woman who had raised Scarlet, for the past twenty-three years of her life.

Scarlet turned around to look at her mother and the look on her mother’s face was one that she had never seen before. Her mother’s eyes were swollen and red as if she had been crying for a long time. Her other had always been the strong woman who kept everyone together and seeing her in this light was new to Scarlet.

“Yes” Scarlet answered, afraid to call her mother, not knowing the reaction that she might get. Her mother walked closer to Scarlet and tried to place her hand onto Scarlet’s face but Scarlet moved her face away.

She could not do this, stand around, play a happy family, and pretend that she was part of this family when in fact she was adopted an daughter.

“She did not mean to do it, I know Amber. She was probably just mad at, at” Mrs. Albertson was speechless, another side of her that Scarlet had never seen before.

“That is not the point mother; the point is that you and father have kept such a huge secret from me all these years! When were you going to tell me this, mother?” Scarlet yelled at her mother for the first time.

Her mother’ could not speak, she tried to but her mouth barely moved. Scarlet knew that answer and that was never.

“You never intended to tell me, right?”

“Your father and I didn’t want you to feel different to both your sisters and you are not different”

“That is a lie and you know it mom. Now it all makes sense why Amber and Viola were always top achievers in everything they did whilst I on the other hand could not do any better”

Mrs. Albertson’s eyes grew wide, not believing a word that Scarlet was saying. In her entire life, she made it her mission to make sure that none of her daughters felt left out.

“Scarlet, don’t speak like that, ever” Her mother warned her. Mrs. Albertson was never going to allow her daughter speak so low of herself.

“Why not mother? Its true”

“No it’s not! Your sister’s have found their talents and in due time you too will find what makes you happy, just give it some time” Scarlet could not believe what her mother was asking of her, after the devastating news that she had just found out.

“Mother I’m afraid that there is no time” Scarlet managed to spill out. She had made up her mind and neither her mother nor sisters were going to stop her.

“Why are you saying that?” her mother asked her, fear building in her as she did not know what was going through Scarlet’s mind. Without answering her mother Scarlet ran up the steps, leaving her mother downstairs, calling out to Scarlet.

Scarlet had made up her mind and nothing was going to stop her now. She went through her wardrobe and pulled out the cloths that she knew she would need and she threw it onto her bed.

She was furious; she had not gotten the answers that she intended on getting from her mother. Scarlet did not know where she was headed but any place was better than staying here, because this was not her home and she had to find out where she belonged.

Mrs. Albertson rushed into Scarlet’s room, only to find her daughter packing her cloths away into a huge suitcase and that confirmed her biggest fears.

“Scarlet you are not leaving!” she yelled at Scarlet who continued packing her cloths away without minding her mother, who was now in the brink of tears.

“Why are you packing your things away? Where are you going?”

Mrs. Albertson asked her daughter who still paid no attention to her, Scarlet was furious and she was not afraid to make it known to the world, including her mother.

“Let her go!” a man’s voice came from out of nowhere and when both women turned their attention to Scarlet’s door, it was her father or rather the man she had called father all her life.

“But honey, she wants to leave our house” Mrs. Albertson protested but Mr. Albertson lifted his hand up in a scouts gesture to stop his wife from saying anything further.

Her father looked right into Scarlet’s eyes and she looked away from him. Her father was not a man of many words but today he had chosen to speak.

“I said let her do what she wants, if she wants to leave then let her leave. However, before you leave, my daughter your mother and I have to tell you the truth, we owe you that at least.

Her father was cool and composed as he had always been and Scarlet appreciated him for being the calmness in the storm.

Her mother looked at Scarlet one last time, she too left the room, and Scarlet knew it was her queue to follow them to the lounge.

The truth was finally out and her father had told her everything, she was not a true Albertson, rather she was a replacement for their stillborn son.  Scarlet had never been this torn in her entire life, she knew that both her parents loved her but something in her wanted to find her real parents.

Scarlet looked at her father in his eyes and she had so many questions swimming in her head but there was only one right now that was the most important.

“Where are my parents?” Scarlet asked her father and immediately her mother shut her eyes, a tear fell from her mother’s eyes and Scarlet did not know how to take that as.

Her father repositioned himself onto his chair, as he always did right before he delivered some important news to the family.

“Your parents are dead, they died in a car accident and you were left at the orphanage” Scarlet’s heart tightened as she heard her father deliver the devastating news to her. She had imagined that she would find out who her biological parents were and meet them but now all that hope and dreams were lost.

“Scarlet, we’re so sorry my dear. I know that you think that we are probably the meanest people in the world but we loved you so much that over the years we simply kept postponing telling you the truth”

Scarlet did not want to hear a single thing from both her parents at this point, if it were not for Amber’s anger, she would not have found out the truth, so in some way she owed all the thanks to her sister for telling her the truth.

Scarlet stood up from the chair, silently. Her body was numb from the never ending blows that she was receiving with the knowledge of her parentage.

“Scarlet!” her farther called out to her and she paused, not wanting to look at him but knowing that he had something important to say.

“I know you want to find out who your parents were, your mother and I will help you with that but it’s late and I do not want you to leave this late”

‘When can I leave then?” scarlet asked her father but not really needing his opinion on the matter. She had already made up her mind and not even her father was going to change her mind about it.

“Your mother and I will book your plan ticket today and tomorrow you’ll be on your way to Canada” Scarlet’s eye’s widened not believing a word that her parents were saying, she was Canadian.

Scarlet turned around to look at her parents, trying to keep a straight face about the entire matter but she could not.

“I’m Canadian?” Scarlet asked her parents and they both looked at each other and then back at her.

“No, well in some ways” her father told her but that was not enough to satisfy Scarlet’s curiosity.

“What do you mean father? I’ve had enough of you two lying to me!” Scarlet yelled at her parents. She was trying her best to remain calm but it was not working anymore, Scarlet still felt that her parents were lying to her and she was not having it.

“Your parents were American’s; they simply moved there while your mom was pregnant with you and were born there”.

“How do you know so much about my parents?” her mother walked closer to Scarlet and she tried to touch her but again Scarlet moved away. She did not want her mother to touch her for the fear of not recognizing it.

Now that the truth was finally out, Scarlet did not know what the truth was. Too much had been concealed from her for her to believe anyone anymore.

“Your father and I did some research on your parents, plus your aunt and grandmother helped give us some information on them” Scarlet’s brows were raised, finally someone from her family members, her real family members.

“You saw my aunt and grandmother?” Scarlet watched as her mother swallowed the lump in her throat. She was going to get the truth weather or not her mother liked it.

“Mother”

“Yes! Yes we saw them right before they handed you to us,” her mother cried out, Scarlet for the first time saw her mother scared to death. Her tears were rolling uncontrollably and her face was reddening along with her eyes.

“So you took me away from my family?” Scarlet angrily asked her mother, whose mouth was left wide open at the thought that Scarlet could ever think such a thing.

“No we did not! Your aunt and grandmother gave you away and when we asked them they said that you looked just like your mother and father and they couldn’t bear the thought of looking at you every day and “

“Knowing that I looked like my parent’s” Scarlet finished the sentence for her mother. It broke her heart that her family would simply hand her over to some stranger that they had no knowledge of the type of people they were.

“How much did you pay them?” Scarlet asked her mother who out of shocked placed her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming.

“That is enough!” Mr. Albertson scolded at Scarlet and immediately she knew that she had crossed over the line the anger in her father’s eyes was one that she had never seen before. In the last few hours see has seen sides of her parents that she had never seen before.

“Scarlet we would never do that to you,” her mother cried out to her, the tears in her eye’s was the sign of her honesty.

“Scarlet, your mother and I would never buy you and the fact that you could even think such a thing is repulsive,” Mr. Albertson told her. Scarlet did not know what to think anymore, because nothing made sense.

“Well you and mom have money, enough money to buy this house, have influence over people and keep my parentage a secret from me. So don’ you blame me for thinking otherwise, because nothing makes sense anymore,” Scarlet told them, not afraid to say what she had been feeling.

All her life she had felt somewhat different to her sisters, she was always the one to get in trouble and she always felt as if she was empty and looking for something. Never has she thought that that longing feeling came from her unknowing need to find out who her real parents were.

“But we would never buy you from anyone my dear, we’re not traffickers!” Mrs. Albertson wiped the tears from her face and this time she held onto Scarlet’s arm.

“Mother, I just can’t think straight anymore”

Scarlet’s mother forced a smile on her face but Scarlet knew that her mother was trying to hold herself together for her sake.

“I know that this is a lot to take in at the moment but I want you to know one thing, we don’t consider you as a stranger but as our very own daughter. I know you are probably lost and you probably think that we are monsters but we love you with all our hearts”

“But why did you hide this from me?” Scarlet asked her mother, tears streaming from her eyes as she tried her best not to cry.

Her mother placed her hand onto Scarlet’s cheek, only this time Scarlet did not move her face away.

“When your father and I adopted you, we made a promise that you would become ours, you are not our step daughter, you my dear are a Albertson and don’t you ever let anyone tell you any different” her mother’s words were comforting but still it was not enough for Scarlet.

“I still have to go mother”

“And your father and I understand that. We will you go see both your aunt and your grandmother. But I want you back here with me as my daughter” Scarlet nodded her head, agreeing to her mother words, but not sure if she would be coming back.