As a child my favorite place has always been home, it was the safest place for me. Not just me , every living being's safe place is their home where they live happily with their family and loved ones. But when that home doesn't feel safe anymore what shall I do?
I loved my home, I still do. Instead of going out on holidays I loved to stay back at home and spend time with my family. Christmas was my favorite. We all used to decorate the tree together, bake cakes and wrap gifts for our relatives and friends.
Those days were the best when life was simple and I could always go and hug my mother and tell her everything about what happened. I could go and complain to my father if someone bullies me. I could play with my brothers the whole day then fall asleep and they carry me back home.
It was fine but one day things changed, my father became strict with all of us, my brothers stopped playing with me. My mother didn't change but her expression said she was sad. I was only 13 back then. When I realized that our family is never gonna be the same as it was.
I am standing in front of my home or I should say my parent's house. The place of my childhood, which I always hated to leave but now I get a fever when I just think about stepping inside. When Ethan messaged me yesterday about the family lunch , I reconsidered it 100 times whether to come here or not.
I didn't even get enough sleep last night, I tried everything to tire myself so I fell asleep but nothing worked. And in the morning I was welcomed by dark circles and a headache. Even Liam noticed my miserable state. The tea did help me with the headache, I feel better but the weird feeling in my stomach doesn't seem to go away anytime soon.
Jasmine let me borrow the NYX navy dress, I thought she would argue but she simply let me wear it for today. luckily it fits me well and I look presentable in front of others
"Are you planning to explode the house tonight?"
I flinch at the low whisper, turning around I see my brother smiling at me. He is wearing a proper suit and he looks like he came straight from his workplace "Not a bad idea, do you have something to start an arson?" I joke
He laughs and moves forward "don't forget I am a lawyer, I can put you behind the bars"
I roll my eyes "You are not specialized in criminology" I say. He puts his arm around my shoulder and bends me before he could touch my hair and spoil them. I escaped from his grip "don't! I put so much effort into styling them" I warn him as I fix them.
"One pat won't harm you" Henry says making me glare at him "okay I won't" He back off
"How are you?" I ask, I am seeing him after 6 months nothing has changed much about him . He still has that same goofy smile on his face "Same as you left me, what about you? Are you liking your new university?" He asks
"It's good but not easy . Fashion Designing is just not about drawings"
"I told you'' he shrugged. Henry is 5 years older than me, he is working as a business Lawyer. Henry was the first one to support me when I said I will study fashion instead of law. In a family full of lawyers it was a shame to go into the fashion industry but he had me on every step and convinced my parents to let me do it. They were shocked with my choice but didn't stop me from following it.
Ethan had a totally different reaction, we had a huge argument that time and since then i didn't come back to my home. Henry helped me with the whole shift and even tried to make Ethan talk to me but his ego is bigger.
"What are you thinking?" Henry asks me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I Shake my head "Did Ethan come?"
He looks around "yeah his car is here so that means he is also present here" he points at the black Mercedes parked at a distance. At least he is earning well "He shifted awhile ago" Henry informs
I frown "what do you mean?"
"Ethan shifted after sometime you left, he brought his own apartment and living there, but he visits on weekends" I didn't even know this, and he wouldn't even want to say anything to me
"Let's go in" I follow Henry inside. A maid opens the door , Henry mentioned that they did hire new staff while I was away.
The house still looks the same. The entrance hallway walls are filled with our childhood pictures, our first day of school, our birthdays, our vacations except for our graduation. Mom still kept 3 frames empty for that.
When I enter the hall, dad and Ethan are sitting opposite to each other and talking about something. It would mostly be about some cases.
My father Sebastian Miller , is now a retired lawyer, back in the days he was known to win almost every case under him, people even called him ruthless and now he runs his own law firm , the most popular and with the highest win rate in Sydney
Ethan and Henry works under him and the most eligible one will be the next successor
"Stella is here" Henry announces. Their heads snapped in my direction, dad gave me a huge welcoming smile and stood up followed by Ethan "Ella my baby!" My mom squeezes me in a tight hug. She is shorter than me but so much stronger "how are you" she holds my face and asks "I missed you so much" and she goes back to hugging me again
"Mom! You are crushing her" Henry says
"I am sorry! I am just too excited to see her after a long time" her grip loose and she steps back "it's been a few months mom, you shouldn't miss her too much" Ethan comes around and stands beside mother "She isn't made of glass to break just by hugging her" he says looking at Henry but he is actually mocking me with that smug smile plastered on his face
"Well I missed you too mom" I step forward and give her a hug . I could hear Ethan scoff "You didn't Miss me?" My father asks . He stands back and I give him a hug too "I missed you too"
"How are you doing princess?" He asks, caressing my head. I hold his hand stopping him "I am happy and healthy" I reply
He smiles, I can see his eyes are a little moist, they missed me and I missed them too. Everything is the same except for Ethan, he looks different than ever, alot sharper and more serious. He is a splitting image of our dad from his 20s , they are the younger and older versions of each other. Both with deep brown eyes and the same bronze hair with sharp features. Ethan even has the same personality as dad
Whereas Henry and I inherited everything from our mother from the blonde hair, the ocean blue eyes and her soft smile. Everyone says I look like my mother except for my freckles. If I didn't have them I would look exactly like her
"If emotional reconciliation is done, should we eat? I am really hungry" Another mock from Ethan. It was rude, everyone knows that , dad glares at him but he just ignores it "Yes! I made all of your Favorites , let's go before the food gets cold" my mom says
But the tension doesn't seem to go down . Ethan and I were glaring at each other without any words. We were having a war inside our brains. He is literally 28 yet behaves like an amateur
"Aw! Are you jealous that no one missed you?" Henry asks and wraps his arms around Ethan caging him "I missed you so much big bro" he talks in baby voice making Ethan cringe out "leave me Henry!" Ethan pushes him back and dust his suit and fix his tie
Everyone laughs, Henry always loved to annoy Ethan
We all sat around the table for lunch. Henry and I sit beside each other, Ethan and mom opposite us . The table is filled with all of our favorite childhood dishes it doesn't look less than a fest "Mom this is so much you shouldn't have troubled yourself" I say
She shakes her head "How can I not it's been so long since we had a proper family dinner I had to do my best. Now come on start eating"
We all dig in, Ethan fills his plate with everything and starts to stuff himself. For sometime we eat in silence but slowly few conversations break out. Mom and dad asked us about our work and studies it was mostly Ethan and Henry speaking i decided to remain silent
"What about you Stella? Is fashion designing fun?" My mom asks
Everyone stops their talk and their attention diverts to me. I feel a sudden mood drop as words get stuck in my throat or it may be the food also. I drink some water and speak "It's hard but I am doing well, I made a few friends and they are helping me" they smile and don't ask much about it
I notice Henry constantly checking his phone
"Are you waiting for someone?" I ask him and he nods in response "my girlfriend"
"Your what?" I yell
"What happened?" Dad asks . I look at Henry and he warns me not to say anything "nothing I just overreacted please continue" I cover up
"You have a girlfriend?" I whisper yell . He opens his gallery and shows me a picture of a girl smiling. She is not looking at the camera it looks like a candid picture. I take the phone from him and examine it "she is pretty how did she agree to date you?" I question taunting him
He snatched his phone back and keeps it in his pocket "Well thank you and she thinks I am very interesting"
"I think she meant interesting as in weird" I tease him more
"Okay jokes aside but when did you guys meet and how long have you been dating? Can I meet her?" I pour out all the questions at him. He didn't date anyone since high school, I thought he was directly gonna go for an arranged marriage "woah slow down let me answer them one by one. She is or was my client, I met her a few months back and boom now we are dating" he explains
"What about 'Not dating a client policy' ?" I highlight his words he said while joining dad's firm that he will not associate with clients personal life "well she was the first to associate with mine and I happened to go along" he shrugged
"Damn I already like her" I announce
He raises his eyebrows "may I ask why?"
I giggle "because she made you fall head over heels for her" he scoffs and laughs "Fall? No way I didn't -" a notification sound echoes and he quickly takes his phone out. I peak a little and the message is from 'lady boss'
He catches me peeking and slips his phone back adjusting his coat "somebody said he didn't fall but I see something else '' I tease him again. He scratches his neck "I do love her but I don't know if she feels the same way"
I gasp when he confesses. This guy loved playing around in his teenage years and now he is saying that he has fallen for his client with a tint of nervousness on his face and softness in his eyes
"You should confess to her instead of saying this to me" I advise. We continue eating and he shares more information about him , I have never seen him more excited about anything before like this.
It was time for dessert and mom ordered a chocolate cake for us. She is a good cook but baking was not her favorite thing.
"So Stella, do you think Fashion Designing is better than Law?" Ethan asks the mid set of everything. Everyone goes silent with his question "Ethan don't start something" dad warns
"What? I am just asking. I am also worried about how my sister is doing after choosing an unstable career"
"Thank you for the concern Ethan, I am doing really well and I am happy with what I am doing and more importantly this is a stable career" I say with confidence "what about you? Are you having fun with lying and fabricating the truth?" I mock
He drops his fork and slams his hand on the table making everyone flinch "I support the truth! Mind your words"
"I will mind my words when you learn to respect my choice!" I yell at him . Mom holds her forehead and sighs. We both get up from our seats and stand across the table "That is a stupid choice Stella. It will give you nothing , it's a waste-" I cut him off "It gives me happiness! It's my dream and I did study law as you said but you saw what happened right? I cannot do it" I try my best to keep my voice stable but I fail
"You cannot do it or you don't want to do it?"
My body turns cold and I fall back at his words
"Ethan don't!" My father yells
My vision turns blurry due to tears forming in my eyes but I resist letting them flow. I don't want to cry especially in front of him , I don't want to be weak in front of him. Mom was holding my shoulders and Henry passed me some tissues which I have crushed in my hand
"Believe it or not Stella. Law is better, why can't you follow the same path as dad and us? It's not too late-" he is doing it again first he degrades me and then insults me and when I am at my breaking point he tries to manipulate me
He bluffed me before, because of his words and his happiness I agreed to study law. I even went to the same University as them and learnt for a year but I realized that it was not for me. I was not happy and I felt like I was trapped . I was able to get a good score in the finals but by then my mental health had is appeared and I couldn't continue anymore.
Mom and dad noticed it and agreed to let me pursue my dreams. When I am back from everything and finally forgetting the trauma he is pushing me into it again.
"I told you! I AM NOT GOING BACK!" I scream and chock at the end . Henry rubs my back and gives me a glass of water, my hands are shaking so much that I can't even hold the glass properly
"It was your mistake Stella, you didn't give your best, even Miles-'' when he mentioned miles i think that's when I realized that coming here was a mistake. He could say everything but mentioning my ex is crossing every limit after knowing everything that he did to me
Dad somehow made Ethan shut up. Mom and Henry were with me
My head is spinning and my heart is aching, it feels like somebody has been stabbing me continuously.
I need to air
I need to breathe
Why am I not able to breath
"Stella!" I hear Henry
"Stella!" He calls me again
But I can only feel dark, why am I feeling darkness?
I shouldn't
I shouldn't, right?
"Damit Stella, calm down!" Henry Shakes me or maybe pushes me. I look around, mom is on the verge of crying. Henry is holding me, he is hugging me or protecting me and refusing to let go.
"You are okay. Please be okay" I hear Henry please
My breathing is stable now. I gulp down a whole glass of water but I still feel thirsty. My throat is still dry and itchy
"It was supposed to be a normal family lunch Ethan not a debating session" Dad is scolding Ethan right now
"We could have always had this lunch everyday, if she didn't leave" he points at me
"Enough is enough! There will be no more discussion on this topic. Stella is of legal age right now and she can make her own decision. No one and I repeat NO ONE can tell her what to do" Henry for the first time raises his voice . He is angry, his palm is clenching and unclenching . He always keeps his calm but today he lost it
"Let's go I will drop you back"
Ethan doesn't say anything and walks upstairs. Mom and dad are looking at me . I hold Henry's arm to get up "I am sorry because of me the lunch is ruined I didn't mean to-" Henry cuts me off "It was not your mistake! Ethan just can't keep his mouth shut"
Mom comes to hug me and rubs my back "I am sorry for putting you through this"
"It's not your mistake" I say
"Do you wanna go back? I can drive you" Henry offers "I have my car, I can go back thank you for today" I bid mom and dad goodbye . I am not sure when I will meet them again especially after this I will need time to stabilize myself again
I went back to where my car was parked. It was kept a little farther than the house. As I was walking I heard Henry call me , he ran towards me "When will you come back?" I don't have an answer for his question so I remain silent
"Stella, please don't cut us off because of him. Mom and dad miss you, even I do. Stop by sometimes. You can come on week days when he is not present" he requests
"I am going busy with my projects and the midterms are near so I don't think I will be back soon but I will call you" I assure him . He walks me to my car "Try not to think about what happened today. Okay?" I nod and sit in the car and lower down my window "Call me when you get back , drive safe" he steps away from the car and I start the engine driving away
After a few moments I stopped the car aside from the road. The sun was setting and it was raining again. I wanted to scream to cry but couldn't bring myself to let out my emotions they are stuck inside me and killing me inside no matter how much I try , I couldn't take them out and I hate that feeling
Ethan didn't even bother to come to my graduation. I thought he would arrange some surprise for me back home but the first thing he said to me when I returned home after the graduation party was "I have decided that you will go to the same University as us and study law" he didn't een congratulate me . He just decided I will study law
It was our dad's decision that Ethan and Henry will study law but they didn't argue and went with it . I don't know about Ethan but Henry didn't want to become a lawyer but agreed in respect of our father. Dad never mentioned making me a lawyer. That night I revealed I wanted to do fashion designing, and that's when everything fell apart , there were a lot of discussion and arguments
In the end I agreed to give it a try for my brother's happiness but I couldn't survive there much longer . Everyone was fine with my choice except Ethan, he started to ignore me and afterwards he started to degrade me. That's when I left the house and decided to stay at the university dorm.
I need some good amount of sleep after everything that happened today but I don't think I will get any
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Author's Note
How are you all doing?
Sorry for the late update, Hope you all enjoyed the chapter
The fun is gonna start from next chapter, get ready!
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