Flowers, Fame and Unforeseen Facades

Chapter 35

Cyclamen:Goodbye
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TW: Mention of sexual assault between the following signs:᯾ ᯾

Zoe's POV

"Hello, Zoe. It's nice to see you again.", she said, her voice calm, but her eyes showing shame. She was shifting on her feet nervously.

My jaw hit the floor. What was she doing here? She was the bane of my problems, the person who abandoned me when I needed help the most and the reason for some of the biggest curses that I had received in my life. Why was she here? Did she want me to go after her like a little puppy, following her every command?

"W-what are you doing here? What do you want now?", I said, my voice breathy and obviously portraying my extreme surprise.

She looked down at her feet, and then up again, saying, "Um... I have something to say. May I come inside? Just for a few minutes?"

Although I wanted to leave her to the dead, I nodded, my eyes set in a a hard glare, and said, "Fine. But you have fifteen minutes to talk about whatever you want to. I'm sorry, but I can't give you more than that."

She nodded, showing me that she understood. Slowly, she walked inside the apartment, looking around curiously. I asked her to sit on the sofa, going inside the kitchen to make the two of us some coffee. It was one of mom's basic life rules. "Whenever someone comes to meet you, always give them something to drink, unless they are a threat."

At that moment, Alyssa didn't look like much of a threat. She looked like she was about to tell me a tragic story. I put the mugs of coffee on a tray, taking them outside. Alyssa was sitting on the edge of the sofa, constantly looking around the apartment. 

I cleared my throat to let her know of my arrival, an handed her a mug. Seeming embarrassed, she accepted it with a quiet "thanks". For a moment, the two of us said nothing, just sitting on the sofa, and sipping on the delicious coffee.

Suddenly, she sat up, putting the mug on the coffee table, and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that happened after mom and dad's death. I'm sorry for everything that happened with... Riley."

I was so shocked, I almost spat out my coffee. Thankfully, I swallowed it in time, and got away with a a minor choking fit. Only after my hacking had stopped did I process what she had said. She was... apologizing? After all that had happened. After so many years. She was apologizing... 

It was extremely hard to believe. For a moment, I thought about the new revelation. What did this mean? Why would I forgive her after what had happened? Suddenly, I felt anger overtaking me.

I got up, turned my back on her, and walked towards the window, saying, "Think about it, Alyssa. Even if you do apologize, I can never get those thoughts out of my mind. The constant oppression, abuse and the mental torture. Most importantly, the mental torture that I got because of knowing the fact that it was my sister who was doing it all to me. She was there, every single minute. But she didn't do anything to help me."

I felt tears roll down my cheeks, and I faced her, seeing the tears that dropped down her own face. Her face showed shame, and regret. She looked up at me, her eyes pleading. I couldn't help but think of all the times that I had pleaded her to help me. 

The time that I had shouted at her to stop Riley from forcing himself on me. The screams echoed inside my mind, but I pushed them back, wanting to educate her on all the torture that her mistakes had made me go through.

᯾I looked at her, dropping down on my knees, and whispered, "The person that you loved most was the one who betrayed you. He betrayed you by... r*ping your little sister. He is why your once beloved sister is now a victim of PTSD. And you were the main cause of it all."᯾

(AN: Zoe tells Alyssa about her PTSD, and tells her how she was betrayed by Riley because of what he did to her.)

I took a shaky breath in, trying to pull myself together, and getting ready for what I was about to do next. My decision was definitely risky, but I wanted to do it. For the sake of my future, and for my parents. Although it was gonna be hard, I knew that it was the right thing to do.

So, I said, "I won't forgive you, Alyssa. Not right now at least. But I'm giving you a chance. We'll visit each other on a regular basis, and if you mess up, you can consider me dead. All of that if Riley is no longer in your life. Which is what I'm assuming. Am I right?"

She nodded, and a large smile stretched across her features as she said, "Thank you so much, Zoe. You don't know how much that means to me. You truly have grown a lot. I can't believe my little baby sister is so grown up now." She sighed, as if remembering a fond memory. "Anyway, I wish you the best of luck on your journey to recovery, and hope to meet you again soon. Once again, I'm sorry. And... I love you."

I said nothing, keeping a stoic expression on my face. I wasn't ready to say that back to her. Definitely not ready. But I knew that I could make it. The two of us could get over our past, and move on. Or at least try to. She was my sister after all. People might've said that I was stupid for even thinking of accepting her apology, but with no blood relation in the world, I wanted to keep the last one that I had close to me.

I wanted to be able to leave a portion of my past behind. I wanted to say "goodbye".

Doneee! That was... unexpected. Am I right? Anywho, what do you think of Zoe's decision? Do you agree with her, or disagree? And if you do, what do you think she should've done instead? Let me know in the comments! Also, make sure to vote, and share! Love you guys! Peace out!