Loretta's Confession

Arielle POV I come into the kitchen and find Loretta sitting at the breakfast bar, her exquisite face marred by heavy circles. She glances up at me, her eyes heavy with defeat. She knows. I have no doubt that Ariel addressed her about what she did five years ago. She huffs and looks away as she picks up her teacup with shaky hands. I wish I had the energy to maintain the facade, but I don't. After what Ariel told me last night, I can hardly look at her. How am I expected to let her into my life knowing how much she has taken from me? "Why did you do it?" I ask, unable to keep the inquiry hidden. She clenches her teeth as she glances up at me. "Do what?" "Why did you sneak into Ariel ' room that night?" "Why did you pretend he slept with you?" She glances away, shakes her head, and avoids my stare. I've never seen her at a loss for words, but she is now. She clearly believed she had gotten away with her fib. How long has she been manipulating me? "For once in your life, be honest with me. Why would you do that to me? "To Ariel ?" She raises her head and sighs, resignation written on her face. "Because I wanted him," she says simply, with hate in her eyes. "I wanted him to look at me in the same way he always looked at you. "I wanted the prestige of being a Warren." She crosses her arms. "When did you figure it out?" She is so unconcerned about it that I find it difficult to suppress my rage. If she hadn't been pregnant, I'd have thrown her tea all over her head before instructing our guards to kick her out. "Not until last night," I concede. She nods with her jaws clamped. "That explains why Ariel told me to leave this morning. He could hardly bear to look at me because of you. "If his grandmother hadn't intervened, he would have thrown me out." She smiles at me then. "You received practically everything you desired. Almost." I should have known Ariel wouldn't just let this go. I do not want to either, but what can I do? I cannot risk injuring the baby, and Ariel should not either. I stare at my sister, the distance between us never widening. She feels like a stranger to me. Did I actually know her? "You put me through years of agony and heartache, and you sit here with no remorse. I'm Loretta, your sister. "How could you do this to me?" She laughs, and the sound is hollow."If not for me, you wouldn't exist. Mom and Dad only kept you because we needed you for a stem cell transplant. You literally exist solely to improve my life. Even our parents did not want you, Arielle. "Can't you see?" She frowns as if her statements make complete sense. "I'm the daughter they adore, the spouse who is the perfect match for Ariel , and the person best equipped to be a Warren. It simply made sense. "It was not personal." I bite down on my lip for a moment, attempting to alleviate the nausea her words cause. "You are the most entitled narcissist I have ever met, and it bothers me that we are connected. I can't do it, Loretta. I've had enough of tolerating you. I do not want you in my life. We're done after you have your child. I promise to cherish your child as if they were my own, but you are dead to me. I wish I had the strength to cut you out of my life earlier. I wish I had recognized your selfishness as narcissistic behavior. For years, I made excuses for you, convincing myself and everyone else that you were only that way because you genuinely wanted to live life to the fullest. I am done. I'm finished with you, Loretta." She smiles at me. "Is this the point when I am supposed to care? Should I fall into tears and beg for forgiveness? Because I will not, Arielle. I don't regret anything I've done. My only regrets are not marrying Ariel and underestimating you. I didn't believe you'd have the courage to fully pursue him, but that's fine. The issue is yet to be recoverable. So go ahead, my precious little sister. "Get out of my way on your own accord." I grit my teeth and turn away, my heart aching from the rage I feel. I should be used to it by now, but her comments still hurt. "You're—" A loud buzzing outside catches my attention, and I glance out the window to see a helicopter with The Time's insignia hovering over our property. Alarms sound throughout the home, and the drapes begin to close automatically as two of our guards hurry into the room. "Mrs. Warren, there was a security breach. Mr. Warren is on his way home.One of our guards, Luke, handed me a tablet. The photo that accompanies the headline makes my heart sink. It is a photograph of Ariel and Loretta when they were younger. He's standing behind her, arms wrapped around her, lips pressed on her neck. The headline reads: Torn apart by antiquated family traditions and a vixen for a sister. My heart falls as the article details their connection, accompanied by photographs shot over the years. One photo in particular makes me feel terrible. They captured the three of us at a recent premiere. Ariel has his arm around my waist, but he's focused on Loretta. The angle of the shot makes it appear as if he is pining for her, and just looking at it hurts. "I told you that the situation is still salvageable." I look up from the tablet, shocked. "You did this?" She grins. "You left me with no choice. I told you to go while I still gave you a chance. Now the entire world will know that you are nothing more than a cheap replacement for me. Everywhere you go, people will be muttering about how sorry it is that he can't be with me. Once our child is born, public opinion will turn against you even more strongly. How long do you think you'll be under such scrutiny? The entire world will be calling you a homewrecker. They will call you a nasty whore for snatching your sister's fiancé. Have you looked at the comments yet? I scroll down and discover that her remarks are real. The article implies that I seduced Ariel when Loretta was concerned about her job. I tremble as I grab my phone, only to see that all of my posts' comment areas are full of harassment. I set the medication down and took a steadying breath. I never imagined she'd be capable of something like this. It's one thing for her to pursue Ariel , but intentionally attempts to destroy my reputation when she knows how many of my modelling contracts are dependent on my public image.Where does it stop, Loretta? Do you know how devastating this is to my career? "My business?" She smiles at me. "It will not end until you repay what you have taken from me. Even if Ariel and I can't make it work, I will not let you take everything that belongs to me." I hide my hands in my hair and take shaky breaths. "He's always been mine, from the beginning. Even if he wasn't, he loves me. "Then and now." She shook her head. "I can fix it. I did it once before, right?" I collapse to the floor, dread gnawing at me. Yeah, she's done this before. The deception; the lies. Is that all that awaits me? She's going to keep chipping away at everything I have and am.I try hard to breathe in, but my lungs are burning. Panic gradually begins to overpower me, and I succumb to it. "Lollipop!" Ariel shouts. He kneels alongside me and wraps his arms around me as I let out the first sob. I throw my arms around his neck and collapse. "I can't do this, Ariel ." I can't live like this. "I can't..." I can't continue doing this." He cups the back of my head and rubs my back. "You will not have to. I'll repair it, I swear. "I will fix it, baby." "You can't." My voice breaks. I'll never be able to get away from her now that they have a child. She will not stop until she has what she wants, and I can't take much more.