head and starts to leave. As he gets to the doors to leave the grand ballroom of this palatial penthouse, he turns to me and says, “I believe Liam Knight is a good guy, Sara. Isa loved him more than anything in this world. He deserves to find some happiness, just not at my expense.” He offers me a pained smile and leaves.
My heart aches at his words. I don’t want to think about the person Louis was before he met my beautiful best friend. He’s an attractive man with extraordinary means, which makes him susceptible to a wild lifestyle not available to the rest of us. How Emily was able to tame and convert a notorious playboy into an amazing loving husband and father is nothing short of a miracle. Whoever Louis Bruel was before he became Em’s husband doesn’t matter anymore, he is and always will be a good guy. I look up the staircase and think that the beautiful stranger waiting for me is also a good guy. I know it. I just don’t deserve either one of them in my life, not in any capacity.
“Please Don’t Go” by KC & Sunshine Band
I’ve been listening to Louis and Sara’s conversation and I’m having a hard time comprehending why my father never mentioned or let me view this tape they’re chatting about. I feel like a loon for never knowing there was a tape involved. It’s safe to say that up until today, I felt certain that Louis had somehow paid enough money to make my sister and her book go away. If I weren’t a member of a group of strangers that call themselves “my family” I’d call one of my parents and ask them about this. But I haven’t spoken to my father in almost two years. My parents always attempted to cover up anything that could possibly tarnish our good name, and my sister’s conduct didn’t help the façade they struggled to uphold. My mum can’t even hear my sister’s name without falling apart, and Isa never uttered a goddamn word about that video. Bullocks! What can possibly be on that bloody video?
Once Louis leaves, I go back to our room and wait for Sara to get to the bottom of this. Well, it’s not our room, it’s just a room. I heard what Louis said about Phillip loving Isa. That’s another bit of history I had no knowledge about. I haven’t cried in two years but in a span of less than twenty-four hours, I’ve had to hold back tears a few times. I’m not sure how I was able to keep it together when he mentioned Isa talking about me. When I think of our short time together, I can’t recall her once saying she loved me. She only ever talked and cried about loving him. I wonder what she said to him about me? I wish I could talk to someone who actually knew her while she lived in the States.
Sara walks in a few minutes later holding her laptop. I’m seated at an armchair by the window and I’m baffled that the small act of her filling the same space as me calms me. I almost wish we could skip this awkward part and have her be confidant enough to walk over to me and sit in my lap, where I feel she belongs. I know she has the footage and we’re about to witness another dimension to my sister’s tragic tale, but I’m elated to not be doing this alone.
“Did you know about this video?” she questions me.
“Only after you mentioned it, earlier,” I answer truthfully. “Do you not trust me?” I ask, fearing her answer.
“I trust you, you’re not a liar,” she states, which I’m thankful for.
“Are you ready?” she asks me. I nod but I don’t know what I’m ready for. I don’t know what missing piece of the distorted puzzle this video will fill. “Liam, I want you to promise me that whatever you and I are about to witness won’t change anything between us. We can’t go backward, we can’t change the things that have been done. The past has been written; it’s only the future that remains open, clean, unknown, and untainted. Please promise me you’re willing and open to have a conversation with me about whatever this video holds.”
I nod again, but how can I promise not to react when I have no idea what kind of evidence is about to punch me in