Secrets of the Past

Chapter 53

After he had gone Giovanna sat on the couch and cried. Could he be telling the truth? Now that she had heard what he had to say, she needed to talk to Chloe and hear her side of it. She had to know if what he had said was true, that her sister intentionally wanted to hurt her.

She wiped her eyes, grabbed her purse, and headed to Chloe's. When she got there she pounded on the door. Chloe answered and smiled when she saw her sister.

"We need to talk," Giovanna said, not returning the smile.

"Sure, come in," Chloe said, her voice light and upbeat.

"What the hell did I walk in on yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you really going to play dumb? You know damn well what I'm talking about. You know I saw you kissing Brian."

"Oh! THAT. Yes, that is correct. We kissed," Chloe said, matter of factly.

"So you aren't going to deny it?"

"Why would I? You said it yourself, I already know you saw."

Giovanna stared at Chloe, dumbfounded.

"Why were you kissing my boyfriend?" Giovanna asked. "Again."

"Well, I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity."

"For what? To kiss him again?"

"Yes, and to make sure you saw it."

Giovanna was speechless. Chloe smiled.

"Why? I don't understand. Why would you want to do that to me?"

"Payback."

Giovanna was even more confused now.

"Payback for what? You've only been here a year. I haven't done anything to you."

"Oh it's not anything you've done in the last year," Chloe said, still sounding nonchalant.

"I don't understand."

"Let me paint a picture for you," Chloe said, her tone changing. "It's a steamy night in June. I'm home with mom and Olivia when the phone rings. Olivia and I are in my room, so we don't know who's calling, but the call only lasts about 30 seconds and then I hear the phone slam followed by a bottle smashing against the wall.

We sit there, waiting, knowing what's coming. And sure enough, within a matter of minutes, she's in my room, screaming at us. She's telling us what a stupid fuck up YOU are, telling us that you won't be back, and that if you ever do come back she'll kill you. She's drunk, of course, so she probably wouldn't have really killed you.

Her ranting goes on for hours, and as you know, when she gets on one of those tears you just have to sit there and take it. She never tells us why you won't be back, and we know better than to ask. I'll spare you the details, because you know what comes after the ranting."

"I'm sorry," Giovanna said softly, her eyes wet with tears. "I really am. But I still don't understand."

"You abandoned us. You left us alone with that bitch. We suffered even more than usual because of YOU."

"I was in jail!" Giovanna yelled, tears streaming down her face, but out of anger, not sadness. "I didn't abandon you! What was I supposed to do?! Oh my God! You have been holding a grudge against me for all these years, for something I had no control over?"

"If you hadn't been acting stupid you wouldn't have gone to jail. Stealing a car so you could go on fucking joy ride?"

"I was a fucking kid. Yes, a stupid kid, but a kid. Do you think I wanted to get arrested and go to jail?"

"How should I know," Chloe said. "It certainly beats the alternative."

"Yes, it was beyond awful at home, but I can assure you prison wasn't in my future plans. I can't believe this. I can't believe you would try to destroy my life over something that happened so long ago, and, again, that I had no control over. Why did you wait so long if you were hell bent on hurting me?"

"I didn't know where you were. It really wasn't until I saw you online with Q that I was able to track you down."

Giovanna stared at her sister.

"I...I guess there's nothing left to say. You accomplished your mission. I loved you. I loved getting to know you and spending time with you. But I see now that was one sided. I never would have thought you could be as cruel as our mother. It took me a long time to put the past behind me. And it took a lot for me to trust you, to let you in. I was obviously a fool. Good-bye Chloe."

She turned and left, feeling as though she was walking through a haze to her car. When she got in she sat there for a long while, sobbing uncontrollably. She was hurt more than anything. Hurt by the level of cruelty her sister had displayed towards her. Hurt by Chloe's betrayal.

She didn't know what to do or where to go from here. It was obvious now that Brian had been telling the truth. She realized just then that it wasn't only her that Chloe had hurt, but also Brian. He had nothing to do with any of it, yet Chloe had dragged him into it.

She needed to tell him that she knew the truth, that she believed him, that she was sorry for doubting him. But she was mentally drained. All she wanted to do now was sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday. She would go and see him in the morning.

She drove home, her eyes heavy from all the crying and the exhaustion. She was lost in her thoughts, Chloe's words stinging her all over again as she replayed their conversation in her head. And how was she going to make it up to Brian? She felt as though she had hurt him, too, by being so quick to believe he had once again betrayed her.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she never saw the truck coming as it slammed into the side of her car.