𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝟏: 𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫 ✔

CHAPTER 41

Trigger Warning: The following chapters contains themes and content that may be disturbing or triggering to some readers, including but not limited to violence, abuse, trauma, and psychological distress. Reader discretion is advised. If you are sensitive to such topics, please take care while reading.

In a sunny garden bursting with vibrant flowers, young Evangeline and Jeremy laughed and played together. Their carefree voices mingled with the gentle rustle of leaves. Evangeline, with her flowing hair catching the sunlight, chased after fluttering butterflies. While Jeremy trailed close behind, determined not to lose sight of his sister.

"Hey, wait up, Evie!" Jeremy called out, his small legs pumping as he tried to keep pace.

Evangeline slowed down and turned to her brother with a bright smile. "Come on, Jeremy! Let's see who can find the prettiest flowers!" she suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Jeremy nodded eagerly, his chubby cheeks flushed with enthusiasm. "Yeah, I'll find the best ones for you, Evie!" he declared, his determination evident in every word.

As they scampered through the garden, Jeremy stuck close to Evangeline, his hand firmly clasped in hers. He seemed unwilling to let her out of his sight, as if afraid she might vanish if he did.

"Evangeline, look at this one! It's the coolest flower ever!" Jeremy exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder as he presented a particularly vibrant bloom to his sister.

Evangeline grinned, touched by her brother's gesture. "Wow, Jeremy, that's amazing! You always know how to make me smile," she remarked, her affection for him evident in her tone.

"Evangeline, come play with us! We're having so much fun!" one of her friends exclaimed, waving at Evangeline with excitement.

Evangeline glanced down at Jeremy, who was watching the scene unfold with a furrowed brow. She could sense his unease, his reluctance to let her stray too far from his side.

"Um, maybe later, guys," Evangeline replied hesitantly. Although she really had that desire to play with her friends but she knew her brother would be lonely.

But Jeremy's grip tightened on her hand, his eyes pleading with her to stay. "No, Evie, don't go later. Don't go ever," he whispered, his voice barely audible above the din of the playground.

Evangeline's heart ached at the sight of her brother's distress. She knew how much he relied on her for comfort and security, and she couldn't bear to leave him alone, even for a moment.

"Sorry, maybe next time," Evangeline apologized to her friends, offering them a sheepish smile before turning back to Jeremy.

As they walked away from the group, Jeremy clung to Evangeline's side. His small frame trembled with relief. "Thanks, Evie. I don't like it when you're not with me," he confessed while his voice wavered slightly.

Evangeline wrapped her arm around her brother and offered him a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, Jeremy. I'll always be here for you," she promised, her words a silent vow to never leave his side.

As they grew older, Jeremy's perception of Evangeline began to shift. What was once a child's innocent dependence on his older sister evolved into something more complex and unfamiliar.

He still cherished her presence, valued her guidance, and sought solace in her comforting embrace. But now, there was a new awareness creeping into his consciousness—a growing awareness of Evangeline as an individual, as a woman, separate from himself.

But as time went on, Jeremy couldn't shake the nagging feeling of unease that lingered in the pit of his stomach. He watched from the sidelines as Evangeline laughed and flirted with her admirers, each interaction leaving him with a sense of discomfort he couldn't quite articulate.

There was something about the way she smiled at them, the way her eyes lit up in their presence, that stirred a strange mix of jealousy and resentment within him. He found himself growing increasingly possessive of her, unwilling to share her affections with anyone else.

Yet, try as he might to suppress these feelings, they continued to gnaw at him from the inside out. It became a constant source of turmoil and inner conflict within him.

Jeremy struggled to come to terms with the realization that his sister was now a woman and one day will definitely be with a man other than him.

Until one fateful day when Jeremy felt the weight of his emotions become too much to bear, he found himself seeking comfort in the one person he knew he could always turn to: their mother.

With tears streaming down his cheeks and his heart heavy with hurt and jealousy, Jeremy poured out his feelings to his mother. He was unable to contain the jealousy that raged within him any longer.

"I don't understand, Mom," he confessed, his voice choked with emotion. "Why does Evangeline always have to be with other guys? Why can't she just be with me?"

His mother listened patiently, her heart breaking at the sight of her son's distress. She wrapped him in a comforting embrace and offered him the warmth and reassurance he so desperately needed in that moment.

"It's okay, Jeremy," she whispered soothingly, gently stroking his hair. "Evangeline loves you very much, but she's growing up, and part of that means exploring new relationships and experiences. One day, when you love someone then you'll understand."

But Jeremy couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that gnawed at him from within. He felt as though he was losing his sister, the one person who had always been there for him, and it filled him with a sense of loneliness and despair he had never known before.

"But I love Evangeline! I also want to kiss her! And touch her! And do all those things to her!" Jeremy explodes that shocked his mother.

For a moment she was speechless and then the other, her palm met his cheek.

"Evangeline is your sister!" Their mother scolded.

Jeremy took a deep breath before speaking again. "I... am not your son! That means Evangeline is not my sister! I am the son of the woman your husband left you for!"

Mrs. Sinclair gasped in shock.

"How... How did you find out?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Because that mistress... She came to my school years ago and told me everything."

"What?" Mrs. Sinclair stuttered as her body shook in fear.

But still, Mrs. Sinclair remained resolute.

"Still, I won't let you have those kinds of thoughts towards Evangeline! I am your mother, Jeremy! I raised you! I raised both you and Evangeline! So take that immorality out of your heart!" Mrs. Sinclair cries and presses on Jeremy's chest.

At that moment, Jeremy felt nothing but rage.

'How could this woman deprive me of my own feeling?!' He thought and out of nowhere pushes her with force, that Mrs. Sinclair stumbles back and hits her head.

Her death, although sudden, was passed off as an accident and Evangeline grieved without knowing the truth.