Sweet Venom: A Why Choose Romance

I knew this was coming. It’s part of the reason I went to the party with Say in the first place. I was done watching her take heat for my plan. After the night Vi shut down the club with her stunt, we thought we were in the clear with one of our biggest steals to date, but the following week when Sebastian stayed gone, Say knew she had somehow been caught. We knew Sebastian had suspected her for a while. It’s why he followed her from time to time, hoping she’d slip up and he’d catch her red-handed. It’s another reason I rarely go back to the apartment. But when he suddenly stopped watching her after the last hit, we knew it was because he had found his proof. He was no longer looking for evidence against her. He was searching for her accomplice. He was looking for me.

This day was coming. I just thought it’d be on my terms and not like this. Not having to choose between two women who own my damn heart. I knew where the conversation was going the second Sebastian found out she was my sister. I was ready to own my truth right then and there, but then Vi passed out, and he ran out the door. I had to make a choice: ensure the woman who held my future in her hands was okay or take a gamble that the monster on his way back to San Jose wouldn’t hurt Say more than he already had.

Charlie and Vi’s grandmother are currently pressing cold rags to her forehead while Ellis scolds, ‘If she’s not opening her eyes in the next minute, we’re going to the hospital.’

Mason chimes in, ‘Calm down. Vivi is one of the healthiest people I know. She probably didn’t eat enough. Or fuck, I don’t know; maybe three asshole boyfriends is two too many.’ Then he points at me. ‘I warned you. You hurt her, I kill you.’

He moves to come at me, but his wife pulls him back. ‘He didn’t hurt her, Mace. Calm down.’

‘Fuck if he didn’t. Sebastian said he was the one who had been robbing the club. Has no one else here pieced together what I have?’ I don’t say a word as he directs all his rage at me. I deserve every damn bit of it because I know exactly where his thoughts are going, and he’s not wrong. ‘He fucking used her to get to Ellis and Sebastian.’

The next thing I know, a right hook connects with my jaw, knocking my chair back, and Ellis pounces, landing blow after blow, but the pain radiating through my jaw as Ellis swings at me is nothing compared to the hurt I see when Vi opens her eyes. I don’t even try to fight back. I fucking hate myself for letting her down. She gave me her heart, and I just shattered it.

‘Ellis, stop!’ she cries. ‘Stop, just fucking stop. I want to hear it from his mouth.’

‘There’s nothing he can say that makes any of this better, Vivian. It’s done. We’re fucking done.’ Ellis shouts.

His last words have me finding mine. ‘We are not done, not even fucking close.’ I croak. While Ellis Lykos may not like me, he will never be rid of me. Not really.

‘Let him talk, Ellis. This is my choice, not yours.’

I have no idea what that even means. My mind can’t focus because all I can think about is Vi’s okay. Now I have to ensure the other girl who owns my heart is. Sitting up, I wipe the blood from my split lip on my thumb before giving her the answer I know she’s not looking for, but I’ve already lost enough time here. ‘I’ll give you everything, Vi. Every damn truth, but if there’s a small part of that pretty heart that cares for the man you know I am, I need you to take me back to San Jose first.’

‘Fuck that. She owes you nothing, asshole,’ Mason spits.

I shake my head no, my eyes never leaving hers when I say, ‘It’s not for me, Vi. It’s for Chelsea. Please. You can hurt me all you want, but not her. I promise I’ll tell you all of it, but please not her.’

She heard my story. None of what I shared with her was a lie. I just didn’t give her everything, but I believe the unfiltered parts I did give her brought us closer. I’m counting on that connection, on the emotions she felt for two kids that tragically lost their parents in an unfortunate accident. I’m depending on that pain, that desire to save them, to save me now. It’s the lowest of lows, but my back is against the wall, and if I’m going to be burned alive at the stake for my sins, I’m not going down without a fight.

Her eyes hold mine, and I see it. She knows exactly what card I’m pulling, but before I get a chance to read into her expression any further, she turns to Ellis and asks, ‘Where’s Sebastian?’

Mason answers for him, all too willing to connect the dots. ‘He left the second Tate confirmed that she was his sister, not his girlfriend.’ What looks like disappointment briefly flickers across her face, only to be replaced with the vengeance of a scorned woman.

Standing, she says, ‘Charlie, I’m going to need you to do me a solid and ask your dad to let me borrow his helicopter.’

Ellis shakes his head, clearly pissed that she directed that statement to Charlie and not him, and just like that, with one sentence, she’s made it clear that she trusts no man. Ellis ignores her direct snub and says, ‘Done. Now, let’s go.’

‘I swear to god, Vivian, if you don’t slow the fuck down.’ He grabs her around the waist and hoists her into his arms as we take the stairs.

‘Ellis, put me down. I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own.’

‘The fuck you are. You insisted we take the stairs instead of the elevator, but you just passed out at dinner. Excuse me for not wanting to see that happen again. Push me on this, and I’ll have the doctor here in ten minutes for a house call.’

We take the stairs two at a time up to Ellis’s penthouse, where we know he is because the cameras are down. They went down approximately fifteen minutes ago, which is about when he would have arrived back here. I’ve called Sayward at least a hundred times since we left the Serra Estate, and she hasn’t answered. I’m really fucking hoping that means she left her phone in her locker at work, and not because Sebastian made some fucked up rash decision that’s going to land my ass in jail sooner than anticipated.

‘Let me down,’ Vi commands as she smacks Ellis’s chest the second his foot hits the landing. When her feet hit the ground, she takes off running down the hall.

‘Fuck,’ we both say in unison as we chase after her.

The door to the condo flies open with us hot on her heels, and we all but run smack dab into her when she stops dead in her tracks to watch Sebastian Lykos kneel in front of Sayward. Their heads snap toward the three of us, and Sebastian stands in time to receive a hard slap across the face from Vi.

‘You fucking hypocrite. I’m the slut, huh? The little viper who isn’t good enough for your brother; meanwhile, you’re no better off, sleeping with the fucking enemy.’

‘What the hell are you talking about? I’m not sleeping with her.’

‘You’re lying. You’re lying because you hate me that much. You can’t stand that I make your brother happy. I recognize her perfume, Sebastian. You had her here the first night I came back to San Jose, and I saw you outside of Blush at Roasters. It’s been her all along; it’s why you wouldn’t choose, and the second you found out she was single, you left—’

‘Stop!’ he yells as he grabs her by the shoulders. Ellis and I step forward, and he realizes the error he just made and releases her. ‘I’m not sleeping with her. This is Sayward Grace. She is the girl I showed you on the camera the night you shut down the club, the same one who’s been stealing. You don’t recognize her because she wears a wig to the club for anonymity.’

Vi runs her hands through her hair. ‘I don’t understand. If she’s stealing from you, and you have your proof, why is she here and not in cuffs?’

‘I didn’t take her to the police because she’s my sister!’ he bellows before adding, ‘And she owes me a damn story.’

That sets me off. Sayward doesn’t owe him anything. ‘The fuck she does. You ruined her whole damn life.’

Sebastian looks me square in the eyes and says, ‘How could I ruin her life when I’ve only just met her?’

I’m clenching my fists, angry as hell that he’s still acting as if he isn’t fully aware of her. ‘Don’t play stupid with me. You’ve known about us for years. It’s the only reason you know she’s your sister now.’

He puffs his chest out, clearly vexed and trying to rein in his fury so that his temper doesn’t get the best of him before saying, ‘No, I know she’s my sister because you told me at dinner, and I only know that because you’re the fucker who lived my life.’ He pounds his hands to his chest before stepping back.

‘Hold on,’ Vi extends her hands, ensuring Sebastian and I don’t come to blows. ‘Ellis, you never told me you had a sister. What the hell is going on?’

When I look over at Ellis, his eyes are locked on me as if he’s seeing me for the first time, and I mean really seeing me and taking notice of who I am. His jaw clenches, and he drags his eyes away to answer, ‘Because I don’t. Sebastian does.’

I shake my head, pissed to be right, but somewhat relieved to feel vindicated in my claims. ‘See, I told you. You guys fucking knew. It’s your fault our parents are dead.’

Vi snaps her head toward me, and I see the confusion mar her beautiful face as she rubs her temples and says, ‘You said they died in a car accident. Was that a lie? And what about your real name, everything you shared with me. Was it all a lie?’

I see her hurt. Hours ago, we just confessed we loved each other, and hours ago, for the first time in what feels like an eternity, someone wanted me, but I have no one to blame for the emptiness that’s slowly threatening to swallow me whole. I waged this war, not her. These are my sins that I now must answer for. I’m not okay, but I am a master at pretending.

‘Everything I told you was true, Vi. Our parents died in a car accident when I was fifteen. I spent three years in foster care, being bounced from home to home. Sayward spent six total doing the same until I could afford to get her out and claim her. My real name is Carter Manolas, but he died thirteen years ago when that man showed up at my doorstep.’ I point toward Ellis, and everyone directs their attention toward him.

Ellis is six years older than me, and I’ll never forget the day I saw him watching me, because it irked me. I was in the front yard mowing the grass, trimming the hedges, and watering my mother’s flowers when I felt that eerie feeling of somesthesia settle over me. That’s when I noticed a black Audi down the street. You notice new cars when you live at the end of a dead-end road. Vehicles that don’t belong to your immediate neighbors stick out, and I saw him. He had the window down, and our eyes locked. It felt like I was looking at someone I knew. Our hair color was the same jet black, and he had the same grayish-blue silver eyes as mine, but maybe even a little lighter, and those things stuck out because I looked nothing like my parents or sister. My dad had brown hair, while my mother and sister were blondes. I know hair changes with age, so I never put too much weight in that, but the eyes. When I saw Ellis’s eyes, it was like I knew. I knew immediately I didn’t belong. My parents and Say all have the darkest of dark eyes. My mother called me over from the porch to hand me a glass of water, breaking my stare. By the time I was done hydrating, the window was rolled up, but he didn’t drive off. The car stayed parked the entire time it took me to finish the yardwork, which had been every bit of two to three hours.

‘I never set foot on your doorstep,’ Ellis says, his voice too calm before adding, ‘I think we all need to sit down and start from the beginning.’

‘Bullshit. I saw you, and you fucking know it.’

He throws his hands up and says, ‘I’m not disputing that I was there, but that afternoon was it, and we both know I drove off.’

‘You fucking knew?’ Sebastian questions as he slaps his hand down on the island. ‘You went to his house? How long, Ellis? How long have you known I’m not your brother?’

‘For thirteen years.’ He shrugs nonchalantly, as if all of this is no big deal. After all, this isn’t news for him as it apparently is for Sebastian.

‘Why wouldn’t you tell me?’ Sebastian demands.

Ellis sits on the couch and pinches the bridge of his nose before saying, ‘Because it didn’t change anything.’ Then, giving Sebastian his full attention, he adds, ‘I found out when Nico talked me into doing an ancestry test. You know how he is. The man can trace his genealogy back for generations. He’s beyond proud of his heritage and roots. I was never going to learn any of that. Not after our parents got high and burned alive in their trailer. So, I took a test, and lo and behold, I had a sibling match. My first thought was dad cheated on mom. It wasn’t until I went searching that I found him. He was the same age as you. After watching him and running through a million scenarios, I went home, stole your toothbrush, and sent it off for testing. While waiting for the results, I thought about the boy I saw mowing his grass and how his mom came outside to give him water while he worked. They lived in a nice home in a decent neighborhood. He had a good life, and by that time, so did we. So I knew it wouldn’t change anything when I got the results back. I spent fifteen years with you. I practically raised you when I could barely take care of myself.’ His voice cracks at the end, and he clears his throat to try and cover it before adding, ‘You were mine. You are my brother.’

My mind is blank as I listen to his interpretation, but it doesn’t add up. Before anyone can refute his truth, Sayward bursts out into tears. ‘See, I told you the accident was my fault. He just told you he never talked to mom and dad.’ Fuck.

I rush to her side and pull her into my arms. Her hands wrap around me, and I notice out of my peripheral, Sebastian starts pacing back and forth.

‘Tell me about the accident,’ he clips out, his purpose unclear. Does he want the retelling to hear how his parents died, or is it out of concern for his sister, the girl crying in my arms because she feels responsible for their deaths?

‘Do you want to know how our father was thrown from the vehicle and killed instantly by oncoming traffic, or how our mother was crushed on impact and bled out on the scene?’ His nostrils flare, and I can see he’s upset, but I also see his pain, and it’s then that I realize I’m no longer talking about my parents, but his.

‘No, I want to know why she thinks it’s her fault.’

Sayward pulls away from my chest, her eyes puffy and swollen. ‘I want to share. It’s my story to tell.’

Vivian brings over a box of tissues, and she takes them, offering her a small smile of gratitude.

‘I had a third-grade history project where we learned about the connections to our pasts, traditions, and how they left their mark on society. My teacher at the time had just done one of those ancestry tests, and she was telling us all about the fun things she learned through her DNA. We all wanted to do one, so she made it an optional class project. She would handle getting the tests and connecting the dots, but we had to get our parents’ approval, and we had to pay for the test. When I came home and told my mom about it, she saw how excited I was, and she thought it would be fun if we all did it. So, she got with the teacher and found out what service she was using for the project. She then ordered the same tests for herself, dad, and Tate. The night before the crash, I heard mom and dad arguing in the kitchen when I woke up to use the restroom. I snuck downstairs to listen because our parents never fought, so I knew whatever was going on must have been serious, and that’s when I heard them talking about the results of the DNA tests. Mom was convinced there was a mistake, that somehow our test got mixed up, but dad was sure there was not. I remember hearing him say, ‘He doesn’t look like us.’ There were more hushed words, and he said, ‘We’ll take them to the Greens’ house tomorrow, and we’ll take a drive over to Kaiser Permanente to get this straightened out.”

She pauses to blow her nose and rub her back before moving to sit on the couch opposite Ellis. Her back is hurting her now, and I can’t help but close my eyes, hating how all of this cuts so emotionally and physically deep. I can’t take away the physical pain, but the guilt—that’s not something she needs to carry. That, I can take away.

‘My parents were dropping us off so that they could go to the hospital and request birth records. They saw the same match Ellis did, and my father believed immediately that his son was switched at birth,’ I chime in, done with allowing her to blame herself.

Sebastian moves closer to the couch, props himself up on the armrest, and asks, ‘But why does that make the accident your fault?’

‘Because,’ she says, somewhat perturbed that he’s not following her line of thought. ‘I put everything in motion with my stupid curiosity. It was my fault we ever had the DNA tests done. My fault that Ellis ever knew we existed.’

That’s when I jump in, determined to take her pain. ‘Yes, but he’s the one mom and dad were arguing about. It’s his visit that distracted dad and caused the accident.’

‘They couldn’t have been arguing about me, Tatum. I never spoke to them a day in my life. They didn’t see me. You did,’ Ellis offers empathetically.

I shake my head. ‘No, mom’s last words were, ‘He’s going to come back. I know it.”

‘I can see how, given the circumstances, you think those comments were in reference to him, but I hear a mother believing her real son would return to her. The blood tests were out there. The hit was made; she believed Sebastian would come home,’ Vivian adds softly.

The room falls quiet as we all let the truths shared tonight reshape our perceptions and forever change what we thought we knew.

Finally, Vivian walks around the couch and squeezes Say’s shoulder, ‘I’m truly sorry for your loss. You’re a strong, beautiful woman. Please excuse me for my behavior earlier.’ Then, releasing her shoulder, she steps back and heads toward the front door. ‘I need to leave. I can’t stay.’

Ellis immediately stands. ‘What? You can’t leave.’

‘You guys have things you need to figure out, and so do I.’

‘You can stay and figure them out in your room,’ he says, somewhat incensed. It’s the most emotion I’ve seen from him tonight.

‘No, I can’t. I need to be away from you.’ Then, looking around, she adds, ‘All of you. Each of you demanded something of me, and I fucking gave it, but none of you could do the same for me. I need time to think, and I can’t do it here.’

‘I won’t let you leave alone. Someone has to go with you. After your episode tonight I won’t risk it. You can hate me all you want. Your hate I can bear. Your death I cannot.’ Ellis scolds, his tenor leaving no room for debate.

I can’t help but feel like his words are coming from a place I don’t understand. But if Vi picks up on it, she doesn’t let it faze her. Unswayed by his distress, she says, ‘This is why I have to go.’

‘I’m not alone. My grandmother’s car just arrived. Goodbye, Ellis.’

She doesn’t address anyone else before she walks out the door, but her parting words say enough. Ellis was the one she refused to hurt, the man she refused to leave, and if she was willing to hurt him, then there was definitely no hope for me.