Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 161

DEMI

Someone twiddles with the door knob, startling me into dropping Brett’s phone. Quickly, I toss it under the sofa where he had sat while he was in here. Moments later, Mrs. Rollins pokes her head in. At the sight of me, she presses her eyes shut and expels a frustrated breath before making her way in.

"Great. I was wondering when you’ll show up." I blow some disheveled hair out of my face and roll my eyes as she shuffles towards me. "Are you also here to gloat or give me a third degree about Billion-Err..." I trail off, surprised when hunkers down and unties the bind around my legs.

She steps back. "Go on, leave."

Just like that? My eyes track to the door.

"He won’t stop you. Go right ahead." Then she turns to leave.

"Don’t you have questions for me?"

"Why?" She asks, turning. "Why do you want me to question you about anything?"

I shrug my shoulders. "At least I’d know where your head’s at and defend myself. You must also think I am evil and torpedoed your perfect family but that’s not true..."

"If I believed that for a second, Brett wouldn’t be the one you ought to be scared of." Her eyes are cold and soulless as she glares at me. "I know a bit about you now, Demi. I dare say that even when triggered, there’s only so much you can permit your conscience to allow. You’re not the brute who is trying to bring my family to its knees."

"Liam." I hum.

She smiles darkly. "To some extent, yes, but I have reasons to believe he isn’t working alone. Poor Liam. He was such a sweet young man growing up. Then he lost his precious mother, blamed us for it, took a few wrong turns and embraced this troubled life. Like you, his pain blinds him from the truth but he isn’t as wicked as he wants us to believe. He’s got to be working with someone else." Her eyes stray towards the ceiling. "There’s definitely someone else in the picture."

I hold my breath. She’s right. Skylar’s the one driving Liam. Her slender arms grip my shoulders, startling me again.

"You know who’s behind it all, aren’t you? You’re working with them so you must know more about the situation."

Ashal must not have mentioned our conversation to anyone. That’s how crazy he must think I am for not only claiming that he has a biological sister but that said sister is braying for their blood and destruction. Gently, I drop mother’s hands from my shoulders.

"I’m sorry but all I know is that Liam calls the shots. If he’s working with anyone else, I wouldn’t know." My eyes dip to the floor. "I quit helping him but I guess it’s too late now. He’s unwilling to take his foot off the gas until the Rollins empire burns to cinders."

Mother’s only reaction is to allow a ghost of a smile seep into her cheeks.

I refuse to share anything about Skylar, not before I speak to Ashton. I realize now that I have been playing this game the wrong way. Everyone seems to know just what I am capable of and so far, they haven’t been wrong.

There are boundaries to my heartlessness. There are lines I can’t cross and even when I attempt to, there’s only so much I permit myself to do. What if that all changed? What if I step out of character long enough to clean up my mess and save the man I love? Would anybody see it coming?

The door flings open and Brett storms in. He doesn’t look surprised to find his wife in the room or to find me untied and standing next to her.

I bet my father-in-law might catch wind of things a little faster than others. He holds up what I can only assume are fresh divorce papers different from the one Asher refused to accept from me after I allegedly breached our agreement the last time. I’m done signing these without Ashley and I tell him just that.

"Have Ashley sign them first. I won’t be played again."

He scowls at me before shredding the paper into two, twice. Before I can gasp, he lunges forward and grabs me by the scruff of my neck.

"Brett, let go of her!" Mother warns him. "Enough of this!"

"Where is my phone?" He barks at me.

"Why would I know?"

"Because I haven’t dropped my phone or forgotten it in years and how convenient is it that after our little conversation, I couldn’t find the phone I had tucked into the inner pocket of my suit?"

He lets me go and scans the room. When he bends over and retrieves the phone from under the sofa, he leers at me. "What the hell did you do? Install a spyware? Call or text someone? Ashton? Go through my call log or messages? WHAT?"

I jerk back in shock as he barks the questions. Although I didn’t have time to do anything significant on his phone, I am tempted to lie and watch him torture himself with not knowing for sure.

"I don’t need your phone for anything. I know what I know and if I wanted, I could give Liam further proof to end your business for good." I reply with sizzling eyes.

"Oh yeah, and why haven’t you?"

When I can’t find the words, mother replies in my stead.

"Because she’s in love with our son, you fool! It’s as plain as day. She’s torn between seeking the very justice that brought her into this family and loving Ashton who’s directly linked to her parents’ accident." She comes to stand in front of me. "I don’t know what you’ve heard dear but my Ashton’s innocent."

A mean thought crosses my head as I look at her. I shake my head. "You weren’t even there that night. You know what you know because that’s what they all told you, isn’t it?" She hesitates for a moment. I watch her eyes glaze over with worry at my insinuation before I continue. "Your family always keeps you in the dark about the things they’re afraid you can’t handle, like your husband’s affair and the son that came out of it."

"Shut up this minute!" Brett threatens me coldly as mother’s face become ashen.

"And Nicola’s miscarriage."

"Nicola’s what?" Horror spreads across her face as she glances at her husband. "Nicci miscarried? When? How?"

"It’s okay." I draw her attention back to myself. "I totally understand. If I suspected my loved one couldn’t handle the truth, I will also hide it from them. I sigh deeply. "I was also not there the night my parents died but I have very reliable sources that have informed me of the hard truth of that night. For the longest time I struggled with the cold truth of Ashton’s involvement. I badly wanted to believe he was innocent and at some point, I did but thanks to father here, a witness on that awful night, the scales have fallen off my eyes."

Smiling, I turn to father while mother stares blankly. I can tell from the horror on his face that he wasn’t expecting me to spin his trick like this. Though he doesn’t voice his thoughts, I can almost hear him calling me the B word.

"Father was there that night, mother. He helped me realize that Ashton did kill my parents’ intentionally and lied about it."

"What?" Mother whirls to face her husband whose lips are moving without audible words.

"Ashton’s sick, mother. He needs as much help as Ashal, maybe more. He’s a psycho who goes about like a wrecking ball, decimating things and people in his path without realizing it. That’s what father explained and I can’t help but agree. I think he needs to be stopped and Liam can help with that."

"What the hell did you say to her, Brett? Did you throw our son under the bus with your sick theories? Is the plan to get rid of your family and reunite with Kristy and her bastard child?"

"Come on, Barbara, how could you say that? Can’t you tell Demi is deliberately lying to steer the blame away from herself?"

"She surely didn’t make that up. You’ve been trying to shovel that silly talk down my throat for years. How would she know about it if you didn’t feed the same rubbish to her?"

Father glares at me. If looks could kill, I would be dead. I take a few steps back and thoroughly enjoy watching him vacate his high horse and plead with his wife. She dismisses his excuses and turns to me.

"He’s wrong, Demi. Ashton is nothing like he described. You’ve met the man. Do you really think he’s sick? He constantly strives to be a better man than his father and that stings for Brett. Please, don’t punish him based off of a lie."

I nod at that.

"I want mine and Ashley’s divorce finalized today. I’m done going back and forth with this issue."

"It will be arranged. I’ll have the lawyers bring a fresh copy of the divorce papers." Mother assures me. "And in return? You’d find out who the masked player is like I suspect?"

I know exactly who it is but I don’t know if I can trust mother and father with that information. If Skylar is truly the biological sister of the quads, there must be a story behind her deep hatred for them. I have to speak with Ashton first. If he also dismisses me like Ashal, I’ll let the issue go and hope they survive whatever Skylar has in store for them.

"I shrug my shoulders noncommittally. Mother doesn’t insist on a clear answer, thankfully.

"Good. I’m sorry once again for how you were treated before, during and after your stay in this mansion. I know those words don’t mean much coming from me but I can only hope you find a place in your heart to forgive my family for the pain we’ve caused you. I’ll get someone to attend to you. Freshen up. Have something to eat. Ashley will be home soon. Both of you can sign the papers after that."

She walks away, then stops at the door when father lingers. "Got something more to say to her, Brett?"

"Huh? No!" He lies. "I’m right behind you, dear." He gives me one last blistering look before escorting his wife out.

Ah, it felt so good to make a move no one expected from me, not even Brett Rollins himself. I guess I will be sticking to being unpredictable for a while.

I return to my room. It hardly feels familiar anymore. The sheets have been changed to a barf color I’d never have approved. The drawers and closet are almost fully cleaned out. The floor feels cold. The walls that were humming with life and drama are now silent and bland. I tear my eyes away from the sofa Ashton has slept on and other corners that remind me of him.

To be frank, Brett’s words did get into my head even though I tell myself I don’t believe a word of it. These a nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach that keeps telling me that I’d never truly know what transpired on the night of my parents’ death and whether or not Ashton is telling me the whole truth. I’ll just have to move on, forgive and forget if I want the normalcy of life back.

I take a quick shower, the first in over a day, to get rid of the grime. Thankfully, my shower essentials are still in the bathroom cabinet. I grab a Tee shirt and pull them over some jeans. When I step out smelling like flowers, I find him sitting on my bed.

My heart clutches in my chest. freёwebnoѵel.com

"Ashton?"

I didn’t think I’d feel this sudden rush of adrenaline at the sight of him. Had it been that long? I want to hug him but my feet remain rooted on the floor, not because I had indirectly asked him to stay away from me the last time we spoke, but because of the papers he whips out. Divorce papers.

His eyes are heavy. He pulls himself up to his feet while I try to make double sure I am staring at the right man.

"Ashley already signed them. He wanted me to give them to you."

What’s wrong with him? Why is he acting so indifferent towards me? It can’t be the divorce. He knows Ashley and I were always a trainwreck. Did someone say something to him?

"Ashton." Unknowingly, I cup his chin with my hand. "What’s wrong? You look...sad."

"Sign them, Demi. Please. Everyone’s waiting downstairs, including the lawyers. Mother said you asked for this to be finalized today."

"You’re shutting me out." I reply and wince at my shaky voice. "You doubt me too, don’t you?"

I grab the papers and sign them enthusiastically. I don’t care how that makes anyone feel. I’m ending that Chapter in my life and moving on. I chuck them at him. "There, you have it." I can’t believe he’s being so weird and won’t tell me what’s bothering him even when he knows I’ll only imagine the worst.

How am I supposed to tell him about Skylar like this? How do I even bring up the strange messages on his father’s phone to an orphanage manager regarding the quads?

"I don’t know what your deal is but you have it all wrong. I’m not the enemy here. In fact, I wanted to tell you..." I trail off when a guard shows up at the door and taps on it.

"Mr. Sawyer, everyone’s waiting for you guys."

"Be right there." Ashton responds before the guard leaves.

"Sawyer?" I repeat, surprised. "Why did he address you as..." Then it clicks. Oh crap. Did Ashton get disowned because of me? Is that what Asher had been worried about?

"C’mon, let’s not keep them waiting. We can talk later." My heart clutches as he walks to the door.

"ASHTON."

Reluctantly, he halts by the door. I take in a sharp breath as I contemplate whether to tell him about his crazy sister or the text messages between Brett and some orphanage which I suspect the quads are connected to. Neither seems easy for Ashton to digest right now. Maybe I have to dig deeper and get my facts straight before spiking his blood pressure unnecessarily.

"What, Demi?"

I walk right past him, then pause briefly to stare at him deadpan. Being so close to him unnerves him, and chips away at the wall he’s trying so hard to put up between us. As our heated eyes stay trained on each other, I feel his breath catch in his throat just like mine. His eyes dip to my lips before he can stop himself and I instantly know that he won’t be able to put up much of a resistance if I kiss him right now.

Memories of the night of our first kiss floods my mind. With a deep sense of responsibility, I take the high road and step back instead of tugging at the strings of his sanity.

"After you, Mr. Sawyer."

He swallows hard before heading out of the door. I inhale a sharp breath, pat my cheeks to stimulate the blood circulation that seems to have cut off abruptly, before stepping out to meet my fate.