Chapter 56

Clara's POV

I felt more confused than I had ever when I left the hotel. Not to mention the anger that was building up inside me. The feeling of being lied to was overwhelming. I didn't know what to believe in anymore. So many things didn't make sense to me. Why would it make sense when suddenly thrown in my face?

I would have expected anything but this.

"We have an uncle?" Katy asked, trying to make sense of the situation. She, too, was just as confused about the whole thing, even more so than me, because at least I had had some forewarning.

"Yes," Leonardo confirmed hesitantly.

My mother's expression remained unchanged, maintaining her calm and probably giving us a chance to process. Maybe she was just very good at hiding her emotions.

"How come we are poor?" Katy asked, her eyes widening.

I thought this would be one of the few moments she takes things seriously, but apparently, it wasn't.

"It's just some complicated family history, things you wouldn't understand." Mom sighed.

Has she had a complicated family history? I was still hung up because she said she had a brother.

"Why are we supposed just to believe this?" I asked. I eyed them, trying to see who would be the first to break out of character.

"Would you like to see my original birth certificate?" Mom asked.

"You lie to us about everything. You are not exactly the most reliable source." I answered, crossing my arms. "Besides, who goes around hiding a brother?" I asked.

"Like I said, it's complicated," Mom answered. She sighed, breaking eye contact, her eyes moving to the carpet. "I'm going to get something for us to drink." She said, excusing herself. She walked out of the living room, heading for the kitchen.

I would have expected more than that from someone who has lied to us our whole lives.

I still haven't crossed Leonardo off as a potential danger. But right now, he seems to be the person I'd probably get the most out of.

All this stress and anxiety was getting to me. I suddenly felt lightheaded. I sat down on the couch, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm myself.

"Are you going to explain what happened?" I asked, eyeing Leonardo.

Leonardo sighed before gathering his words to speak. "Well, when your grandparents found out that your mother was pregnant and at such a young age, they weren't too happy about it. They already had so many plans planned out for her." He answered.

"What? Did mom fall in love with some poor guy, so your parents decided to disown her because he wasn't good enough?" Katy interrupted.

"No, but he was married," Leonardo answered.

Our eyes widened.

Multiple things ran through my mind. The fact that my father was potentially a married man was at the top of the list. I didn't know how to feel. Was I supposed to be glad that after all these years, I finally got something or disturbed that my mother could have very well ruined someone's marriage?

Both Katy and I had the same stunned expression. Our thoughts were disturbed by the sound of shuttered glasses when Mom dropped the trail of orange juice glasses.

Mom stared at us, horrified, ignoring the broken glasses and juice on the floor.

"He wasn't married when we met," Mom answered defensively.

My mind was still processing. I was still hung up on the fact that he was married. The thought of it made me cringe. This was also the closest I've ever gotten to the truth.

"It was a big thing between our families." Leonardo continued. "We..."

"Why don't you leave so I can speak to my children alone?" Mom interrupted Leonardo.

Leonardo backed away, leaving his story incomplete.

"Why? So that you can keep lying to us?" I glared at Mom.

Mom didn't answer or even look at me. Instead, she kept her cold glare on Leonardo, who was slowly retreating.

"I should get going," Leonardo sighed.

He looked up, making eye contact with me as if, in some way, he was alluding to my lie. That was not the point. This was a far more serious issue to deal with. Besides, it didn't plan on lying for the next twenty-five years.

He gave us a small smile as he walked out of the living room. We waited silently until we heard the loud noise of our front door closing, indicating that he was out of the house.

At this point, the tension in the room seemed to be escalating.

Mom sighed after noticing how pissed off I was. I was not backing out of this one.

"Katy, could you leave me alone to speak to your sister?" Mom asked.

Katy opened her mouth to argue, but she quickly stopped. She sighed and then made her way upstairs reluctantly. Knowing her, she'd probably be hiding in a corner somewhere.

Mom sat down next to me, keeping a safe distance between us as she played with her fingers anxiously."I know you are probably very confused about the whole thing." She began.

"It's not every day that you discover that you may have an uncle. The worst part is that I'm unsure if I believe you." I answered bitterly.

"He's my half-brother on my father's side." She clarified softly, relaxing her arms. "I was alone and scared for a very long time. My family had cut all ties with me. I had no support whatsoever. I had no idea about babies or even how to work since I never had. I had to work and look after you. My past is something that hurts me. I didn't ever want anything from my past life to get to you. That's why I never told you." she rumbled.

Was that supposed to be a valid reason for lying to your children?

"And your supposed half-brother abandoned you too?" I asked.

"He was younger than me and also a child at the time. It was not his responsibility to do anything for me." She answered.

"When will you tell me who my father is?" I asked.

Now that I had gotten to know a little bit, I wanted to know everything. Before, I would have just settled for a simple answer like, 'Oh, I'm not sure who your father is.' Or even an 'Oh, I have no idea who he is.'. Instead, she spent my whole life dancing around the issue, always avoiding topics when the conversation became difficult.

This was difficult for me. I felt like I didn't know the other half of who I was. Knowing she had all the answers but still refused to tell me was even more frustrating.

"I never told you so I could protect you." She finally answered. "I didn't want anything to happen to you." She whispered.

"Protect me from what? What or who are you trying to protect me from? So far, the only person hurting me is you." I nearly screamed.

All I ever wanted was a name. That wasn't so difficult that she was saying all of this to avoid an answer, which made me all the more frustrated.

"Regarding money, some people are just willing to do the unthinkable. I didn't want those kinds of things or people around you. Besides, he didn't even care." She nearly wept. "He didn't even have the guts to tell me he didn't want to be involved. He sent his driver to do it. You don't need anyone like that in your life." She continued.

"If he is such a deadbeat and terrible, why won't you tell me his name? That wouldn't hurt you in any way; I'm not a child anymore." I said.

"Believe me, it's better for some things to remain in the past." She answered. "You are going to be a mother soon. You'll understand what it means to protect your children."

I was having it with emotional blackmail.

"Maybe everyone runs away because you are such a toxic person," I answered irascible.

I stood off the couch, grabbing a jacket and anything else I thought was necessary.

At twenty-five years old, she finally had the guts to tell me. This conversation wasn't getting anywhere. It always ends with silence.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice alarmed.

"Far away from you," I answered.

I stormed out of the house, slamming the front door on my way out, not taking a second to look back.