Hide Your Love In the Past

Nial had saved up his salary for two months to buy me a beautiful cup adorned with a princess image. His earnest eyes sparkled with excitement as he presented it to me. “Bronwyn, you deserve everything good in this world,” he declared. His words, so sincere, pierced through the layers of my despair, if only for a moment.

After the engagement and before the wedding day, memories of Shawn cradling Leta in his arms flooded my mind. She nestled comfortably against him while he comforted her, whispering softly, “I’ll always be by your side. No matter what.” His words echoed hauntingly in my thoughts and I had once dared to ask him why he loved her despite all her faults.

“Leta is headstrong and selfish. She has her quirks and leaves trouble wherever she goes and I’ve always been the one cleaning up her mess,” he had replied seriously. “But that’s what worries me. Without me, who will help her out of trouble?”

In that moment, I wanted to cry out, questioning whether the kindness he had shown me all those years was real or just a facade. But it all made sense now. He was simply used to cleaning up Leta's messes and I was just a convenient distraction he had unwittingly indulged. I had naively believed that his gestures were special, that they held some deeper meaning.

One day I stumbled upon Nial’s diary and read it. I’ll rise to the top and one day, Leta will have to look up at me, begging for mercy. I’ll make her love me completely, with no way out. I could feel his determination through the pages.

Then there were my biological parents. I had overheard my mother sobbing quietly in her bedroom, her voice laced with bitterness as she lamented, “Why isn’t Leta my real daughter?” She had always hated my dark skin, despised the way I kept my head down while eating and resented my timid nature that made me seem unworthy of being their child. My father would often sigh when he looked at me, muttering, “It’s just how things are. There's nothing we can do about it.”

I felt like a burden to them, a constant reminder of a mistake they could never erase. It was as if my existence had become their greatest source of suffering.

I clung to the last threads of delusion, staring at my reflection in the mirror, pulling at the corners of my lips to force a smile, practicing the etiquette and grace I thought would make me enough. I absorbed Shawn's cold stares and Nial's expectations, stretching myself to fit into the roles they wanted me to play. But no matter how hard I tried, I was always the invisible girl—overlooked, forgotten, drifting through life without purpose or direction.

As the night deepened, I found myself swallowed by an abyss of hopelessness, unable to struggle against the dark current that threatened to drown me. Just as my emotions began to calm, my phone rang. It was my father. Since returning to the Larsens, he had hardly made an effort to reach out, but now his voice was heavy with urgency.

“Who said you could leave? You walked out as soon as Leta arrived. Do you want her to feel sad again? Stupid brat, do you have any idea how this looks for her? Get yourself here, right now.” His words came tumbling out, sharp and accusatory, slicing through my already fragile state. “If you hadn’t insisted on calling Shawn, Leta wouldn’t be blaming herself! She’s unstable right now and keeps talking about apologizing to you. You have to apologize and explain yourself to her.”

“You have five minutes. Don’t let me down,” he added, his tone leaving no room for defiance.

I paused, clarity washing over me like a cold splash of water. “I’m not going back,” I stated firmly, feeling the strength in my voice. The Larsens, the Donovans—those lavish worlds never truly belonged to me and I had no desire to meddle in their affairs any longer.

The moment my words left my mouth, I heard my father’s feigned angry tone cut through the silence, a cruel reminder of my place.

“How long are you going to cause trouble? You’ve turned all our lives upside down and still being selfish as ever. Do you want Leta to die? Will that makes you happy?” He shouted, his frustration boiling over and just as he finished, I heard a different voice take over the call.

“I'm warning you, Bronwyn, if anything happens to Leta tonight, I won't let you off the hook,” It was Shawn's voice, cold and unyielding, a stark reminder of the anguish that had already begun to consume me. A rush of sadness washed over me, a dull ache settling deep in my heart, as I felt the weight of his words sink in. Suddenly, the world around me fell silent.

The world around me spun and on the other end of the phone, Shawn's anxious voice continued to blare, but I could no longer grasp his words. Maybe it was for the best. Any form of escape was welcome if it meant I could stop bearing this unbearable burden.

“You better pay attention. I’m a man of my word, Bronwyn. I will find out who hurt Leta. I don’t care if you are the real daughter of the Larsens!” His voice was filled with a simmering anger that cut through the haze of my thoughts.

He won’t let me off the hook? Whatever. Let him come. Then, my head crashed heavily against the ground. I felt no pain, only a strange sense of relief washing over me. Finally, some peace and quiet.