The route to my home was not easy. My legs were trembling as the drugs were still running through my veins.
But, I did not seek help from my fiance or anyone. I returned home all by myself. I would never forget the lustful gazes of drunkards or the lame comments that those passersby passed on me, taking me as some stripper.
As soon as I reached home, I shut the door behind me. I sat on the floor, surrounded by the cold, dark silence of my apartment. The smart home system had automatically drawn the curtains, blocking out the harsh light of the city. I felt drained, unable to muster the energy to cry.
I then walked up to the washroom, soaked my whole body to the bathtub as if the water could peel off my skin that was touched and humiliated by Nolan’s friends. The water washed my tears, making me stronger than I was.
I wrapped myself in the towel and walked up to Nolan and Sophie's bedroom that used to be mine. I looked throughout the room and guess what I found?
A whole new packet of condoms. I don't remember Nolan buying that packet when I was staying in that room with him.
So, the so-called brother-sister bond was all a sham!
I clenched my fists in anger and walked out of their room, feeling disgust by even looking at their wrinkled bedsheet. They didn't even bother cleaning the mess they created on the bed after having such a shameful incest in our home.
Nolan and Sophie didn't return home the whole night. But, his friends were posting pictures and videos online. I saw Sophie sitting on Nolan's lap, kissing him passionately in one of the videos, describing it as a dare given by their friends.
It was all a lie to fool the world and to fool me. Even a blind person could see how passionately Nolan had wrapped Sophie’s waist and was moving his hands over her thighs.
No brother would do that to his sister! It was clearly absurd to me. A kind of act that urged me to throw up just by watching their videos.
I couldn't sleep the whole night and next morning my phone rang, shrill and piercing. I hesitated for a moment before answering. It was none other than Nolan Reed.
"Where are you?" he asked, his voice smooth and nonchalant.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat was dry and sore. I couldn't find the words to respond.
Nolan's voice was like a knife, cutting through my emotions and leaving me feeling raw and exposed. I thought back to our conversation earlier, how he had humiliated me in front of his friends, and how he had revealed his true nature.
I remembered the words of his friend, spoken at a gathering: "If it weren't for Nolan's consideration for his sister’s reputation, you wouldn't be his girlfriend."
Of course, they needed a scapegoat to tell the world that their bond was pure as Nolan had a girlfriend. So, he kept me by his side while having an incest relationship with his sister.
The memory was like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and reeling. I realized that everything Nolan had said to me, all the declarations of love and affection, had been nothing more than a lie.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I knew I had to be strong, for myself and for my parents.
"Nolan…" I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "I know what you did. I know you humiliated me on purpose."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I thought he had hung up. But then, his voice came back, smooth and confident.
"Vanessa, what are you talking about? I don't know what you're referring to."
I laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "Don't lie to me, Nolan. I know everything. And I'm done with you."
“Vanessa, have you lost your mind? It was you who refused to drink the wine despite Sophie's polite request.” He said, “And then suddenly you took a whole bottle of alcohol and drank it all, making me lose face in front of my friends. Do you know how embarrassing you were after being drunk?”
I laughed in irony before I asked, “Was it a bottle of alcohol that I drank? Why do I remember it was the soft drink that I took but still, I was drunk. Nolan, you are smart. Can you tell me why it happened?”
“Vanessa, why would I lie to you? You didn't drink soft drinks, but Wine, and that's with your own consent. No one forced you.” he replied.
I couldn't help chuckling at the confidence he put in his voice while lying to me straight.
I smiled faintly as I responded, “If you are saying so, then it must be Wine, not soft drink. I believe you, Nolan.”
With that, I hung up the phone, feeling a sense of liberation wash over me.
