Chapter 10

Answers

We made our way back up to the VIP area, where Poppy and Wyatt were already waiting for us. I had asked the boys to make sure they were there, and of course, they didn’t ask any questions. I knew this moment would come eventually, but it didn’t make it any easier. I was a grown woman, but all I could think about was seeing my daughter, making sure I had a place in her life, and then getting out of this godforsaken place. Being here—being around all these memories—made my heart ache.

“So, first things first,” I said, trying to steady my nerves. “I know this whole raffle was rigged to bring me up here.”

Poppy looked at me, taken aback. “How did you know?”

“Come on, Poppy. You may be an actor, but you can’t fool your own sister.”

“What?”

“It was a good idea, obviously not yours. Erin must’ve had something to do with this.”

“But how do you remember all of this? After everything he put you through, you shouldn’t even remember anything.”

I went pale at the mention of it. The memories rushed back like a flood—ones I never thought would surface. No one should’ve known what happened behind closed doors. I kept it all hidden, kept my scars out of view. But it was impossible to forget, especially now.

I sighed deeply, the weight of the past hanging heavily between us.

“I remember," I said softly, my voice shaking a little. "At first, everything felt like magic with him. I was still reeling from the breakup with Kira over the baby, trying to finish my degree while being a mom. Then Kai came into the picture. He seemed like the calm I needed, even though sometimes that calm felt a little too... overwhelming. It started off subtle—he’d push me around during sex, call it kinky. But then it became more. Little things—getting angry if dinner was late or if I didn’t do things exactly his way. The first time he threw me across the room, I thought I was going to die. After that, I stayed inside. I barely left the house.”

I tried to steady my breath as my mind flashed back to the darkest parts of it all. The fear, the isolation, and the pain.

“And the drugs,” I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. “Heroin. Meth. Speed. Crack. He fed it to me like it was nothing. I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop. Then, one day, I woke up, and I realized I’d been gone for months. Three months, to be exact. I hadn’t even noticed the time pass.”

There was a moment of silence as the room sunk all the information in. “How did you know?” I asked, my voice softer now, breaking through the painful silence..

“We were all friends with him too. It started small, but we all noticed the bruises showing up on your body. We tried to stop him once, but it didn’t end well.”

Poppy paused, looking down. “With the hospital visits, the doctors said your memory was starting to fade. I think I took the worst of it.”

My heart broke for her, for the pain she had gone through. We all carried that guilt.

“Mom suggested I change my surname and make a name for myself in movies. I was trying to distract myself from the fact that I couldn’t even take care of my own sister,” Poppy added, her voice thick with emotion.

I motioned for her to come closer, and she sank into my arms. I ran a hand through her hair, her tears soaking through my shirt. My heart broke even more.

“So, you knew who we were when you walked into the room?” Poppy asked, her voice thick with disbelief.

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you explain why we hadn’t heard from you in six years?”

“Because I was scared,” I whispered, not meeting her eyes. “I was scared of how you’d react, scared of what I’d become. No one could reach me. I thought if I worked hard enough, if I made a name for myself, maybe one of you would come looking for me. But six years passed, and no one did.”

A heavy silence filled the room. I could feel Kira’s gaze on me, but I refused to meet them. This wasn’t about him. Not anymore. This was about my daughter, and I would not let him distract me from that. I might have missed him—missed the friendship we had before things went wrong—but there was no going back.

“How did you even know I was coming to this event?” I asked, trying to break the tension.

“We didn’t,” Poppy admitted. “We just hoped that you were famous enough to care about your hometown.”

“But I didn’t even know about the casino reopening until the day before.”

“How?” Poppy asked, her brows furrowing.

I looked over at Kira, who was now visibly upset, anger radiating off him. I understood why. He was probably starting to piece everything together.

“I ran into Sandy Yatuki, the magazine owner. He told me about the event.”

“The magazine owner?” Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. He seemed surprised I hadn’t heard about the event. If I hadn’t gone for drinks that night, I would’ve never come back home.”

“Well, we didn’t think about that,” Poppy muttered, rubbing her neck.

“I did,” Erin said, suddenly walking into the room with that confident swagger he always had. When we were younger, he was the mastermind behind all our plans. He was the one who always knew how to get us out of trouble.

“I told Sandy to go to that bar,” Erin said with a sly smile. “He was a little confused by my request, but he confirmed what I already knew. It’s good to have you back, Lisa.”

I pushed Poppy off me and stood up, letting Erin pull me into one of his bear hugs.

“What convinced you?” I asked, still trying to make sense of everything.

“When our eyes met last night, just as you were about to draw the raffle, you smiled like you used to. When I met you that day at the cafe, you looked completely out of it.”

“Wait... the guy with the red hair? That was you?”

“Yeah, it was easy to get close to you, especially when I could fool Kira’s people. You know you were being followed, right?”

“Well, that explains why he always knew what I was doing when he was gone,” I muttered, the pieces falling into place. “Thank you, Erin. I left him that day. Mom helped. Reminded me of Dad’s anniversary.”

“Have you seen him since?” Erin asked softly.

“I visit every year,” I replied, my voice thick with emotion. “I leave flowers on his grave. I need to, for me, for him... for both of us.”

“Where’s Mom moved to?” I asked, my voice small.

“I can take you,” Poppy offered. “It’ll be nice to be with you both again.”

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“Okay, little sister. Tomorrow though,” I said, a small laugh escaping my lips. “I’m slightly intoxicated and still recovering from last night. Being old isn’t easy.”

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Later, at Mom’s house...

I gave Saxon my work number, since my old phone was still shattered from the night before. We texted a bit about last night, about our childhood memories. Talking to him reminded me of why I had loved him so much. We still needed to talk about what happened the other day, but right now, my life—my daughter—had to come first.

Poppy came around around lunchtime, and I was already a wreck, overwhelmed with everything. She laughed when she saw me, and I knew I looked a mess. Mum’s place was just a short drive away, but when we pulled up in front of the little cottage, I felt my stomach drop. There was no way I could do this.

Poppy got out first, and I hid behind her, feeling like a little girl who was about to get scolded. Mom opened the door, and I saw her, looking like she had aged fifty years in the last ten. And I had done this to her. There was no escaping it now.

"Poppy, darling, you know I hate it when you don't tell me when you're coming over," Mom said, looking up at her with a smile. "I don’t have lunch prepared."

“It’s alright, Mom. I brought someone with me. Someone who wants to meet you.”

I stepped out from behind Poppy, feeling my chest tighten as I saw her. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and in slow motion, I watched the cup she was holding slip from her hands and shatter on the floor. But then, her eyes lit up. Her motherly grin stretched across her face, and it was like I was finally home.

"Hi," I whispered, my voice shaky.

Mom regained her composure and ran into me, nearly knocking me off the porch. She smelled like old tea and rosemary, the comforting scent of home. I wrapped my arms around her, letting myself breathe in the familiar scent as I let myself cry. Then, after a long moment, she pulled back and smiled.

“Oh honey, you have no idea how happy I am to see you and Poppy together again. It’s been too long.”

I could barely speak, but I nodded, following her inside. The familiar warmth of her home washed over me, the old photos on the walls reminding me of everything I had missed.

“So,” Mom said, placing a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea in front of me. “Tell me, how is Kai? It’s been so long since I’ve heard anything about you two.”

I lowered my voice, my throat tight. “We got divorced... about six years ago.”

Mom froze, her eyes widening. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. But no one would tell me why you two split up.”

I took a deep breath and whispered, “Mum... he used to beat me.”

Her face contorted with shock, and she gasped. “What?”

She placed her tea down slowly, her hands shaking. Her fists clenched, and I saw the anger rising in her.

“Mom, don’t cry. It’s over now,” I said gently, reaching out to stop her from getting too upset.

She turned her face to the side, her tears silently falling. “How did I not know? Why didn’t you tell us? Your father would have—”

“I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want anyone to see. It was after Dad died. After we got married...”

“I knew marrying that scum was a mistake. I should’ve trusted my instincts. If I see him again...”

“You’ll do nothing, Mom. It’s in the past now,” I said, my voice firm. “Now, how about you bring out those photo albums? It’s been a while since we looked at ‘baby Lisa.’”

Mom nodded, and we were about to settle into familiar comfort when the doorbell rang again. I got up to answer it.

“Saxon’s here,” I said, stepping aside to let him in.

Mom’s smile returned. “Ah, good. I was just about to pull out a batch of my famous honey biscuits. I knew my gut was right.”

“Sure, sure, Mom. Come sit with us. We’re going through the embarrassing photos of me.”

“This should be fun,” Saxon purred into my ear, as he sat down on the floor next to me.

The room filled with the warm scent of honey biscuits, and Poppy came downstairs carrying a huge box of photos. I had seen these before, but today they felt different—nostalgic and comforting.

The first photo was of us as kids. A picture-perfect moment. Mom, Dad, Poppy, Saxon, and me. Holding hands, smiling in the sunlight. We looked so happy, so innocent. I laughed, remembering the purple pantsuit disaster from high school. Saxon’s braces. The moments we had shared.

And then, the last photo... me and Kai. The final photo. The one that ruined everything.

The last photo sat heavily in my hands, its edges worn and faded with time. I hadn’t expected to see it again—certainly not like this. It was taken during one of the last "happy" moments I’d had with Kai. We were standing together in front of a fireplace, the glow of the fire casting soft shadows on our faces. We both looked content, as if the world hadn’t yet shattered around us. His arm was draped around my shoulder, a half-smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. And there I was, the girl who thought she was in love, standing there next to him, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling as I set the photo down. I couldn’t look at it any longer.

“You okay?” Saxon’s voice was low, concerned. His presence was like a quiet anchor beside me, offering comfort in a way that made it easier to breathe.

I nodded, but the lump in my throat felt like it was going to choke me. I had already fought so hard to move forward, to forget, to rebuild the pieces of my life that had shattered so violently. But that photo... it was like a door I’d closed long ago had been pried open, dragging all those old ghosts into the room with us.

Poppy, who had been hovering nearby with a cup of tea, noticed my discomfort and silently slid the photo away from me, replacing it with something lighter—a photo of me, her, and Saxon playing in the park when we were kids. It was a picture I’d almost forgotten about. We were all laughing, our faces free from the weight of the years that would soon follow.

“Remember that day?” Poppy asked softly, her voice a lifeline pulling me back to the present.

I forced a smile, one that was genuine, but still laced with a trace of sadness. “How could I forget? You were all terrible at keeping your balance on the jungle gym.”

“Hey, you were the worst at climbing up it,” she teased, her smile a little brighter. “You were too afraid of falling.”

I laughed, the sound feeling foreign but right. The tension in the room lightened, if only for a moment, as I allowed myself to be in the now. I could feel the weight of everything I’d carried over the years still heavy, but maybe... just maybe, I was starting to put it down.

Mom returned with a tray of honey biscuits, the warmth and sweetness of them filling the room like a balm. “I’m so glad you’re home, Lisa,” she said, her voice quieter now, but full of warmth and love. “We’ve missed you so much.”

I met her gaze, and for the first time in years, I felt like I was truly seen. Not the broken version of me that Kai had left behind, but the girl who had once been part of this family—who still had a place here, despite everything.

“I’ve missed you, too,” I whispered, choking back the words that had been so hard to say for so long. “More than you’ll ever know.”

Saxon reached over and squeezed my hand, his presence comforting, a reminder that I wasn’t alone. “You’re home now, Lisa,” he said softly, his eyes full of promise. “And we’re not going anywhere.”

The doorbell rang again, pulling my attention away. I stood up, my body stiffening instinctively, though I quickly realized it wasn’t Kai. The thought of him still lingered, dark and insistent, but it was different now. He didn’t have control over me anymore.

Saxon stood too, his protective instinct flaring. But when I opened the door, the sight that greeted me wasn’t the man I feared—it was Erin, wearing his usual sly smile.

“Hey, I thought I’d drop by and see if you were still alive after last night,” Erin teased, his tone light but his eyes scanning the room like a hawk.

“Just barely,” I said with a laugh, the tension easing further as I motioned for him to come in. “Come sit. You’re just in time for tea and biscuits.”

He grinned, clearly pleased to be included. “You sure know how to make an entrance, Lisa. Glad to see you’re doing better.”

I smiled at him, the familiar warmth of our friendship settling in my chest. Despite everything, it was good to have him around. I didn’t fully trust him—there was too much that still felt off about the way he operated—but right now, I needed his presence. We all did.

Erin plopped down beside Saxon, who rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. Mom was already serving tea, and Poppy was still flipping through the photo album, narrating old stories of our childhood like they were yesterday.

The laughter, the comfort, and the warmth of being surrounded by family made it feel like I wasn’t so lost anymore. Maybe it would take time to heal—maybe I’d never completely forget—but for the first time in years, I felt like I had a future worth fighting for.

I glanced at the photo of me and Kai one last time. The anger, the fear, the heartbreak—it all swirled inside me, but it no longer had a hold on me. I had my daughter to find, my family to rebuild, and my own life to reclaim.

And no matter what, I wasn’t going to let the past define me anymore.