SARAH "I can't leave, Mom. I still have some things to take care of. Leo's place is close by anyways, so it's convenient for me to stay there," Lilian tried to explain to her mother, but her words fell on deaf ears."I refuse to believe that you've become so foolish ever since you started hanging out with that foolish brother of yours! You are not going back to that house, and that's final," her mother's words were authoritative.How did it come to this?Just moments after I arrived to visit Lilian, her mother barged in. Upon seeing me with her daughter, she flew into a rage and accused me again of poisoning Lilian. Insisting that Lilian must go home with her, she became increasingly aggressive.Lilian attempted to get up from her bed, but the pain from her recent surgery held her down."I am not a child anymore, Mom! I am a young woman with my own life to live. You cannot tell me what to do in this situation," Lilian opposed."Do you see what you've caused? As i
SARAH As I approached the house, a strange feeling began to settle within me. Emma, my cousin who would spend her evenings glued to the TV, was nowhere to be found. It felt as though the house had transformed into a graveyard.Ignoring the unsettling atmosphere, I made my way up the stairs. I could faintly hear whispers coming from Emma's room. She was probably on a phone call. As I approached, the door swung open, revealing a startled Emma."Hello, Cousin," she greeted, catching her breath and attempting to conceal her surprise."Where are you going?" I asked in curiosity. She stumbled over her words, trying to form a response. "Uhh... I'm just going to grab something from the nearby store. I'll be back in no time." I could see right through her lies.She started to rush past me down the stairs, but I held her back. "Are you going without your card or any cash?" I questioned.Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you're right. I should grab my card," she sai
LEO I was really tired after the day's work and needed to rest. But my dear wife was all worked up over her cousin, Emma. I opened the door and without uttering a word, Emma, rushed past me and headed straight to her room. Ignoring her, I threw myself on the couch and turned on the news. Moments later, Sarah soon joined me. "Just stay calm." She said to me. As if on cue, Emma came down the stairs like a raging lion. "Something is missing from my room!" she shouted, accusingly eyeing both of us. "Emma, it's past 9 p.m. Why are you yelling like a lunatic? What's gotten into you?" I fired back, annoyed. Sarah intervened, trying to dig deeper into the matter. "What exactly are you looking for, Emma?" "It's, uh...it's just..." Emma stammered, failing to provide a clear answer. "It doesn't have a name? Nothing specific?" I pressed further. "Forget it, it's not important anyway," Emma snapped, attempting to walk away. But Sarah's words stopped her in her tracks. "Could it be the
LILIANCora arrived at the hospital early the next morning, insisting that I go home with her. But I stood my ground convincing her that I wasn't done with what I had come there to do."You can stay in a hotel then," Cora said, still trying hard to convince me."No, not when my brother's house is just close by " I shook my head in disagreement.She however gave up, seeing that I was not going to do as she wanted.We arrived at Leo's house together, with Cora only coming along to ensure my safety. As we pulled up to the gate in her car, Leo emerged and greeted us warmly. Unsurprisingly, Cora rolled her eyes at him, clearly still harboring her dislike for Leo. "Welcome back Lily" Leo welcomed as he disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two glasses of steaming hot tea. "Please drink up, the both of you. Breakfast will soon be ready" he said with all smiles."Where is your wife?" I asked, sipping the tea as I hadn't seen her since I arrived."She still s
SARAHI was lying in the hospital bed, taking a rest after almost fainting at the police station. I stared up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts about what the test results would reveal.Suddenly, the door swung open and Leo entered my ward. I could see a faint smile on his face and I wondered what would have made him smile after I had almost passed out at the police station."My love," he called and sat on my bed"How are you doing today?" He asked as he held my hands into his."I'm feeling better now," I replied softly.I noticed his smile growing bigger as he looked into my eyes."You've been smiling since you got here. What's the news?"He continued to hold on to one of my hands while reaching for the other and squeezing them both."It's not just news. It's big news" he emphasized the word "big"Wanting to know, I sat up so I could hear the full gist."I'm just coming from the doctor's office and he said… that… " he paused and winded his smiling face.I
LUCASSarah got into the house and plopped down on the couch. I perched on the opposite couch and noticed her shooting daggers at me.She is my little sis, but right now, I feel like a kid, 'cause I'm feeling super guilty for putting her through some bad stuff."Quit eyeballing me, or I'll yank 'em out!" She snapped at me.My sister had undergone a remarkable transformation in my eyes after months of being absent from my life. I couldn't blame her for holding a grudge against me. My foolish actions had caused her a great deal of trouble, but I was determined to make amends for all that she had endured.As my father reentered the living room, he positioned himself beside Sarah and directed his attention towards her."Sarah," he called out to her."Yes, Dad," she responded."I know we all made mistakes, your mother and I. And it's all because of your brother's stupidity. All thanks to your cousin Emma, she tricked your brother.""What? Emma did what?" Sarah excla
LEO. As time went by, Sarah's cravings grew more intense. She would wake me up in the dead of night, longing for things that were simply impossible to find at that hour.Amid my peaceful slumber, she would shake me violently, causing me to jolt awake as if I had been stung by a bee."I'm dying for boiled eggs," she declared one night. Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed and prepared a perfectly boiled egg just for her. But as soon as I handed it to her, she frowned."No, I want it fried," she demanded."Sarah, come on! Boiled eggs one minute, fried eggs the next? What's the deal?" I blurted out in frustration. But her response was anything but calm; she broke down and started sobbing like a little kid."Why are you yelling at me and using my real name instead of the cute nicknames you always use?" She questioned, her tone suggesting some serious emotional shifting.Hoping to smooth things over, I quickly backtracked. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for losing my c
SARAHMelanie and I drove far from town and I had no idea when we would reach our destination.Finally, after driving for what felt like an eternity, Melanie stopped the car in front of a very old, small house."Where are we?" I asked, feeling a little scared."This is where my grandparents used to live before they died," Melanie explained.Melanie went inside, but I stayed behind, unsure if I should follow her in. "Come on, Sarah," Melanie said, signaling for me to come with her.Reluctantly, I followed Melanie into the house. And oh my goodness, it was a mess! It looked like nobody had set foot in there for ages.Suddenly, a foul stench hit my nose, making me gag. I desperately whipped out my handkerchief and held it tight against my nose to block out the stink.Scanning the walls, I spotted a big, dusty picture of two little girls that looked so much alike. It had to be Melanie and Isabelle."Where's Isabelle?" I asked Melanie, who had just come back from