Back Better Than Before

[15] Finding Out The Truth

1 hour later...

Adrianna and Stephen sat in the car in tense silence. When Stephen had woken Adrianna up an half an hour ago, she could tell from his eyes and body language that he was tense about something. As the drowsiness from her sleep went away, Adrianna realized that the letter she wrote last night wasn't there. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to realize what Stephen was tense about. Since then, Adrianna and Stephen hadn't talked. There was nothing to talk about. Adrianna was now vulnerable around Stephen yet she didn't know anything about how Stephen felt or what he was thinking.

They were parked outside a mansion, neither of them making a move to get out. After a nerve-wracking 10 minutes, Stephen made a move to get out of the car and walk to Adrianna's door to open it. Taking a deep breath, Adrianna took the hand Stephen offered and got out of the car. The mansion which was actually beautiful, seemed terrifying. If it wasn't for Stephen's hand, Adrianna would have already ran away. Her stomach was in knots and her heart was beating fast. She was sure her hands were also sweating from the nervousness she felt. Adrianna didn't want to go inside the mansion. She just wanted to go back to the penthouse and forget all this.

Adrianna and Stephen stood in front of the mansion for a minute or two before Stephen squeezed Adrianna's hand. "I'm not taking any sides. But I am going to tell you that you need to go in there and see your parents. Not because they are my best friend's parents, but because you need to know what happened. I know why Maria and Xavier did what they did. I'm not going to tell you the story because it's not my story to tell. Just trust me this once and go in there. Believe me, you won't regret it. And if you ever feel like you want to go home, tell me and I will take you." Stephen waited for Adrianna's answer and when she nodded, he led her to the door. They only waited a few minutes before the door flew open. Adrianna didn't even get a good look at the person opening the door before she was enveloped in a hug.

Adrianna stiffened, unsure of what to do.  In the end, she kept her hands to her sides awkwardly as the person continued to hug her. What felt like hours later, the person released her. Upon examination, she realized that the person was Maria Hernandez. Behind her stood Xavier and Adrian. They smiled at her and looking at them felt like she was looking at a picture perfect family. Maria stood near the middle with Xavier and Adrian flanking her sides. Would she ever fit into this family? Her insecurities were creeping up and slowly tightening around her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

To distract herself, she looked back at Stephen. Her face was ice cold with not even a hint of a smile. These people did not deserve anything from her until they explained everything. Adrianna did not bother to show any sympathy to the people who had left her alone with those monsters. Maria noticed as her smile dimmed and she looked behind her at Xavier and Adrian unsure. Adrian stepped forward and without a warning, engulfed Adrianna in a hug.

"I know you are mad at us, but please give us a chance. You'll see the truth." He whispered in her ear before pulling back but kept his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside little sis." He led Adrianna into the house, and since Adrianna was facing forward, she didn't see the glare Adrian threw Stephen's way. The rest of the family filed into the house behind the siblings.
Despite trying to act nonchalant, Adrianna couldn't help but be amazed by the Hernandez Mansion. It was beautifully designed and... just so beautiful that Adrianna couldn't explain it. She imagined growing up in the mansion, running around the halls, being chased by an older brother, running towards a dad who saves his little princess. Adrianna smiles at the thought but it quickly fades when she remembers that the things she just thought of never happened.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Adrian leads Adrianna into what she presumes is the living room. Adrian's arm finally leaves her shoulder when they reach the sofa. Maria and Xavier sit across from where Adrianna was sitting and Adrian sits on a chair next to them. Stephen stands unsure of where to sit. It was clear that Adrian didn't want him near his sister but Adrianna also needed him. He knew that she would be hurt when she finds out the truth and he promised that he would be with her at all times.

Making up his mind, Stephen scrambled to sit next to Adrianna before anyone could say anything. Maria and Xavier exchanged glances and Adrian narrowed his eyes at Stephen but Adrianna smiled at him and that was all that mattered.

"Would you like anything, Adrianna?" Maria asks politely.

"No thank you."

There was a moment of awkward silence, then "I know you blame us for leaving you with Eleanor and Michael Montclair. In a way, it was our fault but we would have never let you go if we had a choice.

"Maybe, I should start from the beginning. In the Hernandez family, there hasn't been a girl born for many generations. I guess that some people in this family over the years started to believe that girls were bad luck. It's stupid, but no one can change someone's thinking that they had been thinking since they were young. When Xavier and I found out you were a girl, we were so happy. But we also knew that Xavier's family wouldn't be happy about it. We hid the fact that we knew your gender. No one doubted us for a moment and everything was great. Then, I went into labor. It was 2 weeks before the due date so no one knew except Xavier and I that you were coming into this world." Maria's voice cracked and Xavier took over.

"I called my dad that Maria gave birth to you. He didn't know it was a girl. I thought I would surprise him. I didn't know he had already asked the nurses and found out the gender. He payed the corrupt nurse to take the baby, you, away and lie to us that the baby died in childbirth." Xavier became silent for a minute, probably remembering that moment. "I don't want to get into details but in the end, we believed the nurse that our child had died. We did not find out until last year when my dad passed away last year. During his last moments, he must have had a guilty conscience, he told us that you were alive. We found our pictures of you from his office, which is now Adrian's. We kept tabs about you but we didn't think that you wanted to meet us. We know you blame us for leaving you but we couldn't have done anything at that time." Xavier explained, wishing Adrianna would understand.

Adrianna sat there thinking about all those times she fantasized about her real family coming and saving her. She felt anger towards Mr. Hernandez, Xavier's father- she would never call him her grandfather- for ruining her life for a stupid superstition. She felt anger towards Maria and Xavier for not trying to find her earlier, she felt anger at the nurse who took money to separate her from her family, and most of all, she felt anger towards her fate for planning such a horrible life for her.

***
So, umm, hi?
Sorry guys for being absent for 2 months. School started and it takes me a whole day just to do my homework. I swear I'm going to write another chapter within this week or so.
Guys, I'm losing inspiration for this story. Should I continue this story?
Keep reading
-R