

You Don't Belong

An Outsider Series Novel

Book 1

Valenciya Lyons

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 by Valenciya Lyons

Cover Design by Shardel of SelfPubBookCovers.com

All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost I would like to thank God Almighty for being there for me. I'd also like to thank my grandmother, Rosa Lyons. I love you very much. Last but not least thanks to all my family and friends. I love you all.

Author Biography

The Mississippi native's love for writing began around the age of ten. During this time, she wrote short stories and poems and was encouraged by her grandmother to pursue a career in writing. She attended The University of Southern Mississippi and received a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Studies. She currently resides in Meridian, Mississippi. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading fashion magazines, shopping, and hanging out with friends and family.

Other Books by Valenciya Lyons

Cami's Decision (A Crossroads Trilogy Novel, Book 1)

Connect With Me

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8591692.Valenciya_Lyons

Twitter https://twitter.com/valenciyalyons

Blog http://valenciyalyons.blogspot.com/

Wordpress https://valenciyalyons.wordpress.com/

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/valenciyalyons/

Prologue

She cradled the crying newborn in her arms wishing that she'd shut her mouth. The cries were like stings to her very ears.

At just eighteen years old, she'd dropped out of college and worked a full-time minimum wage job. To make matters worse, she'd been dumped by her boyfriend of just a few months which meant that she'd be caring for their baby alone.

She glared at the crying baby in her arms. If it weren't for her, none of this would be happening.

Once she discovered that she was pregnant, he was the first person she'd called. Although they had only been dating for a few months, she knew that he was the man that she'd spend the rest of her life with. With a little one of their own on the way, they could finally elope and start living their lives together. She reached for her cell phone and quickly dialed his number with a smile on her lips. She was just dying to share her good news with him.

"Hello," his tired voice said on the other end.

She loved hearing the sound of his voice. "Hey, I've got some great news to share with you!"

He stifled a yawn. "At 6 o'clock in the morning?"

"Yes!"

He yawned. "I'm listening."

"I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'm pregnant."

There was silence on the other end.

"Hello?"

"I'm here." His tone was rather cold, but she didn't seem to notice.

She sighed, letting out a gasp of air that she'd been holding in. "For a moment, I thought that you'd hung up on me."

"So why are you calling me?" he asked while using the same tone.

Her face formed a deep frown. What did he mean by that? She was calling to tell him that she was pregnant. "To tell you that I'm pregnant with our baby."

"How do you know it's mine?"

"Because I haven't been with anyone else."

"Listen, I'm not ready for this," he admitted.

Her heart dropped. "What do you mean you're not ready for this?"

"I'm not ready to be a dad."

She began to panic as her world crumbled down around her. "You have no choice!" she snapped. "I'm pregnant whether you like it or not. This baby is coming, and I know you're scared but we can get through this together."

"Baby, who is that?" she heard a woman ask in the background.

"Who is that?!" she demanded.

He ignored her question. "Listen, you're a smart girl. You'll figure this out, but I can't be a part of this."

She gasped not knowing what to say. Then, she heard a click on the other end. "Hello?" He'd hung up on her.

She set her phone on the nightstand beside her bed. She couldn't believe that he'd just hung up on her like that. And who was that girl in the background? Had he been cheating on her the entire time?

She could feel her chest tighten while the tears spilled over. She glanced over at her roommate's side of the tiny dorm and was thankful that she wasn't there. She'd hate for someone to see her this way.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a loud bang. She opened her drapes and watched the downpour of rain that threatened to flood the street.

A hatred for her unborn child began to bloom in her heart. If it weren't for the baby, he'd still be with her. He'd still want and love her. She'd keep him so busy in the bedroom that he'd be too tired and satisfied to even think of another woman.

"Honey, are you okay?" she heard her mother say to her now, as she stared into her eyes. She'd been so busy with her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that she'd entered the room.

She blinked a few times. "What?"

A concerned look covered her mother's face. "I asked you if you were okay. Are you?"

She frowned at the newborn that was in her arms and then handed her over to her mother. "I'm fine now," she responded, as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Her mother smiled at the baby in her arms and rocked her gently.

Her daughter frowned while watching the lovely scene. She'd rocked the baby earlier, but she screamed her head off as if she'd hated it.

"So have you decided on a name?" her mother said, her eyes never leaving the beautiful baby in her arms.

"Yes," she said with her arms crossed, "I've named her already."

"So what's her name?"
Chapter 1

Seina Santiago sighed to herself as she entered the crowded apartment. The twenty-four-year-old had promised her mother that she'd bring her younger sister home safely and that was exactly what she was going to do. Her eyes roamed the tiny apartment for any sign of Ashlynn while standing in the living room but there was no sign of her. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes filled her nostrils, and she winced at the cigarette smell.

"Hey, how are you?" Ashlynn's friend, Marcella said, as she cocked her head to the side and blew out a cloud of smoke. "You look like you're about to choke."

Seina fanned the area in front of her face with her hand. "I will if I don't get out of here."

Marcella chuckled lightly. "Looking for Ashlynn?"

She nodded.

Marcella took another deep puff on her cigarette before dipping it into an ashtray. "I saw her around here earlier. Have you tried the bedroom?"

"No, I was really hoping that she'd be out here somewhere," Seina stated, while her eyes roamed the living room yet again for any sign of her sister.

"Let's try the bedroom," Marcella suggested while leading the way.

Seina followed the young woman to the apartment's only bedroom and knocked on the door. "Ashlynn?" She could hear voices coming from behind the door, so she and Marcella pressed their ears to it. "Ashlynn, are you in there?"

Marcella gave her a strange look and whispered, "I think the voices that we're hearing are coming from the television." Seina returned the strange look. "She turns the volume up on the TV whenever she's having sex," she explained.

"It's times like these that I really miss my Dad," Seina said sadly. Marcella nodded. She lowered her voice, "I really don't want to open the door because I..."

They both turned at the sound of hearing the bedroom door open. "What are you doing here?" Ashlynn said, as she eyed Seina with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "I don't remember seeing your name on the guest list." Seina could see a young man zipping up his jeans while standing beside the bed. A wall-mounted TV was tuned to MTV in front of the bed. She could see Marcella standing beside her out the corner of her eye. The young woman was right about Ashlynn. She'd turned up the volume so that no one would hear her having sex.

"Even if there was a guest list, I'd invite myself in," Seina stated boldly. She noticed the frown on Ashlynn's face deepen but she didn't care. She wasn't going to back down especially to her younger sister.

A tall shadow loomed over Ashlynn. "I had fun tonight. We should do this again real soon," the young man said, while giving her flat, pancake, butt a squeeze. Then, he pulled her in for a quick kiss. He looked like her typical bad boy type: he was tall with tan skin, clean shaven, and wore small gold hoop earrings. But there was one problem: he wasn't her boyfriend, Keelan.

The young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, broke the kiss once he laid his eyes on Seina. Ashlynn's eyes followed his and she felt a quick pang of jealously.

"You must be Seina," he said to her.

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, you're not ugly. You're gorgeous."

Seina looked in the direction of Ashlynn, who was rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. She had had enough of this. There was no way that she was going to stand there silent while her one night stand drooled over her older sister.

"Weren't you in my biology class last...?"

"Would you please excuse us? I need to talk to Seina and Marcella."

"Oh, yeah sure," he said as if he'd just realized that she was still standing beside him. He eyed Seina and Marcella. "Drive carefully ladies." Ashlynn intertwined her hand with his while batting her eyelashes at him. "Of course I will."

He jerked his hand away from her, his eyes never leaving Seina's. As he walked pass her, she caught a quick whiff of marijuana.

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at her sister. "So what do you want?"

"Mom's worried about you. She wants you to come home."

"I'm twenty-one so I can do whatever I want."

Seina hated Ashlynn's attitude. Their mother hadn't seen her in four days and she was worried sick about her, and she didn't even care. The only person that mattered to her was herself. She was still living at their mother's home and would come home all hours of the night. Seina had spoken with their mother on multiple occasions and advised her to make Ashlynn move out of the house, but she'd refused to take her eldest daughter's advice.

"Just come home so that Mom can see that you're okay with her own eyes."

"Fine, I'll come." She could see that Seina was becoming irritated and this pleased her. However, she was beginning to miss her mother's cooking so she might as well pay her a visit.

"Since you're the youngest, you go first," Seina stated at an eye rolling Ashlynn, who eventually turned around and slowly walked into the living room with her sister and friend on her heels.

"Ashlynn, you're walking so slow," Marcella observed with cigarette number four in hand. "Can't you go any faster?"

She turned around and shot her a look. "Can't you see how many people are in here?" Marcella didn't respond; instead, she put her cigarette to her lips and inhaled deeply. "If you're in such a big hurry to leave, go around me."

Seina noticed someone enter the apartment with a lost look on his face. Like her, this wasn't his kind of scene either. His head turned back and forth as if he was looking for someone. From a distance, he looked familiar. She tried to get a better look at him, but before she could, she'd lost sight of him.

"Keelan, man, what's going on?" a male party-goer cheerfully said while approaching him with a beer in hand.

Ashlynn gasped. "Keelan's here?"

Marcella pointed him out for her. "He's right there."

She rushed to his side hoping that he wouldn't find out about her infidelity.

Seina brushed into people while heading to the front door. She knew that this was the only way to enter and exit the tiny apartment and that Ashlynn would be making her exit soon. But before she could make it, she felt a warm, soft hand touch her arm.

"Seina?"

She turned around and saw the same guy who Ashlynn had been sleeping with earlier standing before her.

"Seina?" he repeated, as if he was just seeing her for the first time.

She glanced in Keelan's direction and saw Ashlynn with him. She wasn't going to let her out of her sight. "Yeah?"

He chuckled nervously. "My name's David," he said, extending his arm out to her. She gave it a nice shake. "Nice to meet you, David." She always repeated someone's name after they introduced themselves to her so that she'd have a better chance of remembering it.

"This isn't your kind of scene, is it?"

"No, it's not," she admitted. This time she didn't have to look in Ashlynn's direction because she could feel her eyes on her. "I really have to go."

"Wait," David said, not wanting to see her leave. "Do you have a—a boyfriend?"

"Husband," she answered quickly.

He nodded. "All of the good ones are taken," he said, his eyes searching her body. She noticed it and didn't like it.

"No, they're not. You just haven't found the right woman yet."

Keelan held tightly onto Ashlynn's hand so they wouldn't get separated as they neared the front door. She was fuming from the conversation that she'd just overheard between Seina and David. Seina was trying to outdo her again! But she wasn't going to let her win. She was a lot more fun to be around than her sister and a lot better in the bedroom.

Her grip tightened on Keelan's hand. He was the sweetest, most caring guy that she'd ever dated. He opened doors for her whenever they went out and he always took care of her when she was sick.

She wondered what he thought about her. He didn't know that she'd slept with David but she knew what he'd think of her if he ever found out. She couldn't imagine anyone ever thinking of Seina in this way. She was perfect. She didn't have a past like hers. If Keelan ever found out about her past, he'd probably leave her in a heartbeat.

Her blood boiled with a picture of Seina's perfect life and body in mind.

She couldn't let her win this time. She just couldn't.
Chapter 2

The stone in Ashlynn Lindley's heart was reinforced each time she saw Seina. She loathed her older sister's petite figure with curves in all of the right places. She had a smile that could light up a room and a likeable personality that drew people to her. Any clothing that she ever wore always complemented her beautiful caramel, African-American skin and her shoulder length jet black hair was always kept perfectly in place.

She frowned while watching her mother and sister embrace. The hug that she'd received had been much shorter. She'd been gone for four days and yet it seemed as if her mother was happier to see Seina than her.

She could feel her jaw clench while watching the enviable sight. A part of her envied it because her mother's arms could fit around Seina's tiny waist while the other part hated it just because she was hugging Seina. She had been struggling with her weight since she could remember. She'd tried countless diets but nothing ever seemed to work for her. No matter how hard she'd exercise she couldn't seem to shrink her size fourteen body. Yet, Seina could eat whatever she wanted and never gain a single pound. It was as if they weren't even sisters.

The jealously was so strong that it had turned into hatred that had been building since they were children. Seina was always applauded for her good grades since they were children whereas she was scolded for her Cs and Ds. During middle and high school years, Seina was asked out by many different boys all of whom she'd turned down. (She didn't date until college.) Ashlynn tried to compete by dating but the verbal and sometimes physical abuse she endured had lowered her self-esteem.

She couldn't recall one time in her life when she'd been kind to Seina, but she could recall plenty of times that Seina had been there for her. Once she'd walked in on one of her then boyfriends cheating with another girl. She'd cried on Seina's shoulder for hours. Then, she woke up angry at herself the next morning for allowing Seina to see her in a vulnerable state.

No longer able to watch the loving embrace, she headed for her room upstairs.

"Ashlynn, honey, where are you going? Aren't you hungry?" her mother asked. Both hands were at her sides as that all too familiar concerned look covered her face. She stood at the bottom of the staircase eagerly watching her, waiting for her to say something. Karlita Lindley was a senior citizen but didn't quite look like one as she could still pass for forty. Tiny wrinkles outlined her eyes while her cheeks remained full and plump leading some to believe that she'd received injections and fillers even though she had not. The tiny woman had minimal gray hair despite some of the stress that she endured in her daily life, which consisted of worrying about Ashlynn's whereabouts.

Seina didn't bother to look in Ashlynn's direction. Instead she kissed her mother on the cheek and told her that she'd be in the kitchen. Ashlynn was somewhat happy to see her leave the living room, but she'd be happier if she'd left the home altogether.

"Ashlynn?" her mother said still waiting for a reply. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine," she responded rather coldly. Seina was in the kitchen and there was no way that she'd eat anything in front of her tonight. She just wasn't in the mood. Her mother looked crushed and regretting the tone, she said, "I'll eat dinner later."

Her mother smiled at this. "Okay." Then, Ashlynn watched her turn around and enter the kitchen. She didn't want to be a part of whatever was going on in there, so she turned around and headed upstairs to her room.

Seina leaned against the wall with her arms folded while staring outside the bayed windows in the kitchen. She'd had a lot on her mind lately and she needed to ease the stress that she'd been putting on herself. She'd been considering making this decision for some time now. She knew that her mother would be upset but this was something that she had to do.

She turned around with her arms still folded and looked at her mother, who was standing behind her. "I'm not doing this anymore," she stated firmly.

Her mother's eyes grew worrisome before clouding over with anger. She was instantly aware of what her daughter was referring to and she did not like what she was hearing. "You're her big sister. It's your job to watch after her."

"She's twenty-one which means that she's an adult. She can take care of herself."

Her mother buried her face in her hands and sighed. "You have to watch after her. She's your little sister!"

Seina could hear the anger in her mother's voice, and she didn't understand why she was so angry and hell-bent on her caring for Ashlynn as if she was a child. "But she's also an adult who can take care of herself."

Her mother removed her hands from her face and wiped away several tears. "If your father were still alive, he'd always bring her home safely!"

"I'm not Dad."

"I can see that," she heard her mother mumble.

"I'm not going to stress myself out by cleaning up Ashlynn's mess every time she screws up. I'm not going to cause myself to have a heart attack over this."

"It's your job to look after her."

"No, Mom, that's not my job. I wasn't put on this earth to care for her like she's a child. She's a twenty-one-year-old woman who can take care of herself. If I continue to treat her like a child, she'll never learn to be an adult. I'm no longer going to save her from herself. That's her job, not mine."

She saw her mother blink away a few tears but she didn't feel bad about what she'd said. It was something that she wanted her mother to hear from her first before she gave the news to Ashlynn, who she was sure would be more than pleased.

Karlita dabbed at her eyes with a Kleenex. "If you refuse to bring her home in the middle of the night, then I will."

"Don't let Ashlynn run up your blood pressure and cause you to have a stroke. Like I said, she's an adult and she can take care of herself. If you don't allow her to become an adult, she will never learn to be one."

"She is an adult! I'm doing this for your father! He would've wanted me to watch after her and make sure that she's okay, even if it means bringing her home at 2:00 in the morning."

"But Dad wouldn't have wanted you to stress yourself out to the point to..."

"Seina, I'm done talking about this. I really am."

Seina unfolded her arms and shook her head. Nothing that she'd just said had gotten across to her mother. She wished that she'd somehow see otherwise but she knew that that wasn't going to happen. She was just happy that Ashlynn would no longer be her burden to bear, now she was their mother's.

"I love you, Mom," she said, knowing that she'd never bring this conversation up to her ever again.

Ashlynn stared deeply into Keelan's brown eyes. A strand of his shaggy, curly hair fell into his eyes and she tucked it behind his ear as he planted a kiss on her lips.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door, but she wanted to finish what he'd started. She continued to caress the back of his neck while he groped her womanly curves. Then, she heard the knock again.

He broke the make-out session and breathed heavily on her neck. "Maybe you should get that," he said huskily.

"Give me a minute," she called out while trying to straighten out her clothing and hair before opening the door. Her face fell once she saw who was standing on the other side.

"Hello, Ashlynn, I just came to tell you that I'm not going to crash any more of your parties."

Ashlynn folded her arms. She didn't believe this for a second. "Really?"

"Yes. Mom's actually mad at me because I'm not doing this anymore."

She smirked. She couldn't believe that their mother was angry at Seina for anything but she liked hearing the sound of it.

"She doesn't think that you can take care of yourself like the rest of us, but I do," Seina continued.

Now her smirk had disappeared. She hated it when Seina would turn something around on her like that and make it positive. As far as her mother was concerned, she didn't care about what she thought of her. The only thing that mattered is what she thought.

Seina could see Keelan sitting on Ashlynn's queen-sized bed and waved. She could feel the hatred coming from her sister's body and knew that it was all aimed at her. "Keelan," she began, "take care of Ashlynn for me and keep her out of trouble."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Ashlynn stated with her signature smirk. "Besides, you've always loved being in my business anyway. I guess that means that your life isn't that interesting after all."

Instead of making a snarling comment, Seina did something that made Ashlynn hate her even more—she took the high road. "Ashlynn, I know that you hate me, but I still love you. I'm just not going to run after you anymore the way that Dad did. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life worrying about another adult getting into trouble. I wish you all the love and success in the world." With that she turned away from her younger sister and passed her mother without uttering a word to her. Once she'd opened the front door, she propelled her legs to move her forward knowing that she'd never turn back.

Chapter 3

Seina's heart felt as if it would pop out of her chest. She'd been jogging for what felt like millions of miles but she refused to stop. It was as if she was running away from something that had been haunting her.

She came to a sudden halt and panted profusely for a few minutes before she forced her tired legs to carry her back home. As she continued to walk down the mile long road, her country style home came into view. She instantly began to think of her first love and husband, Antonio Santiago, and a weary smile came upon her lips at the thought of him preparing breakfast for them. He wasn't the best cook in the world but she did love his pancakes. Her mouth watered at the mere thought of tasting them.

While approaching the front door to her home, her mind took her back to a time that she didn't want to revisit. She began to think about the conversation she'd had with her mother and sister the night before.

"If you refuse to bring her home in the middle of the night, then I will," her mother had told her. She'd told her mother that if she didn't allow Ashlynn to become an adult, she'd never learn to be one. Then, she'd given her a piece of advice: "Don't let Ashlynn run up your blood pressure and cause you to have a stroke." But no matter how hard she'd plead with her mother, she just wouldn't budge. Her mother would always see Ashlynn as a child who couldn't care for herself.

Ashlynn's response or lack of that night came as no surprise to her. After she'd wished her well and told her that she loved her, Ashlynn stood there as if she had spoken some sort of foreign language. But Seina wasn't stupid; she knew why she didn't say anything. Ashlynn hated her.

When they were teenagers, she began to suspect that something was wrong. She always tried to spend time with Ashlynn by inviting her to hang out with her at the mall, but she would always refuse to show up. Once Seina had entered college, she stopped trying. It hurt her to know that her own sister didn't love her. She decided that keeping her distance would be the best way to ease the pain that she was feeling. She'd spoken to her mother on several occasions about the matter but she always said that it was sibling rivalry. But Seina knew better. Ashlynn had been distancing herself from her and talking about her behind her back since they were children. It had only gotten worse in recent years since their father had passed away. She had a good idea of why her sister hated her, but she didn't want to believe it.

Her brown eyes with thick lashes focused on the doorknob but she couldn't move. She was lost in her thoughts.

Her husband had been watching her for some time now and knew what she was thinking without asking. Antonio opened the door and held out his hand to her. "Seina?"

"Yes," she said startled as she extended her arm to him.

He took her hand and gently pulled her close to him. "Are you okay?"

She sighed, his cologne filling her nostrils. "Yes." She'd already filled him in on what had happened, and she wasn't about to talk about it again.

"Is breakfast ready?" she asked, changing the subject.

He lightly chuckled before kissing her soft lips. "Yes, it's ready, and I didn't burn the bacon this time."

She kissed him once more before they headed inside their home.

During breakfast, she didn't mention her mother or sister and he didn't bother to question her about it. Afterwards, she cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then, she headed upstairs to the master bedroom while Antonio enjoyed the view from behind.

He could hear his cell phone ringing inside the bedroom. Instead of answering it, he continued to follow Seina into the master bathroom.

She slightly cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you going to answer that?" she asked him curiously. He was a popular mechanic in Atlanta so she knew that someone was probably calling this early in the morning about a car repair. She also knew that he wanted to join her in the shower, but she always loved to see his face when he realized that she was making him wait.

He was stunned. "I'm off from work today." There was no way he was going to answer his phone when his wife was about to take a shower.

"Okay, honey, will you please get some clean towels while I get the water nice and warm?" She watched him practically turn around and run to get the towels. With him out of the bathroom, she didn't waste any time getting out of her sweaty clothing and into the shower.

Already lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a sound coming from behind her. She slightly turned and saw a toned, naked Antonio staring at her with lustful eyes.

She instantly put her hand to her heart. "Honey, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

He lightly chuckled while taking in the sight of her beautiful, nude, body—a sight he never grew tired of seeing. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

He took a careful step forward, his eyes never leaving hers. She didn't blink and once she did, he was more than up close and personal. He gently pulled her to him and her spine tingled at his sweet touch.

She placed one hand on his toned chest and the other on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and leaned forward as his lips met hers. He used one hand to press her body against his while the other roamed her backside.

They pulled a part and looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, but he didn't give her time to think before he pulled her in for another kiss. This time he slipped his tongue inside her mouth and deepened the kiss. The hot, steamy shower combined with their rising body heat was almost too much for her to handle yet somehow she liked it and wanted more.

Antonio hoisted her up to his midsection and she wrapped both legs around him. She tilted her head back and let out a low moan as his wet tongue caressed her neck before traveling to her breasts. He slipped inside her, and with each moving thrust, she dug her nails into his back. "Antonio," she moaned bringing his lips back to hers. He drove her wild forcing her to feel things in every inch of her body. It was in this moment that nothing else in the world mattered to her. It was just her and her husband.

Moments later they emerged from their steamy lovemaking session in the shower. "Are you ready for the bedroom?" he whispered in her ear.

She smiled at him, with a towel wrapped around her body. "Are you?"

He nodded.

She made a moving gesture with her hand. "Then let's go."

"Ladies first," he said, his eyes focusing on her beautiful backside as she led the way into the bedroom.

Chapter 4

Seina slung her gym bag onto the floor next to her yoga mat. Her weekend hadn't gotten off to a great start but she was hopeful that this week would be better than the last.

She could hear a few students enter her yoga class. While in college, she majored in psychology but quickly fell in love with fitness once she'd signed up to attend a session of yoga out of boredom. Following college graduation, she'd obtained a job as a yoga instructor at a local gym.

"Seina!" she heard a cheerful voice call out to her in the room. Before she could even turn around, she could feel her cousin throwing her arms around her and giving her a peck on the cheek. Mallory was a tall, skinny girl with long legs. Her square-shaped face was all smiles as her medium length waves cascaded over her shoulders.

"Mallory," she squealed like a five-year-old school girl. "Is this really necessary?" she joked.

"You're my favorite cousin, and I love you," Mallory admitted. "So what's wrong with me displaying my love for you in front of the class?"

Several incoming students stifled giggles.

"Nothing I guess since I love you, too," Seina admitted with a smile. "Now please let me go so I can get class started."

With a chuckle, she released Seina from her grasp and took a seat in the back of the room on her yoga mat near a familiar face. Seina could tell that this person was not pleased to see her by the apparent frown on her face. In fact, she was surprised to see her in class. It was Aunt Tracy, Mallory's mother, but Seina always called her "Tracy" because she never seemed like much of a loving aunt. Tracy was a short, fat woman with a square-shaped faced. Seina was unaware of how her real hair looked because she wore wigs all the time.

She'd never mentioned this to her mother or Mallory but she knew that Tracy hated her. Because of that she didn't know why she'd bother to show up at her class.

She grabbed her yoga mat with one hand and trailed to the center of the classroom.

As soon as Mallory looked in her mother's direction, the frown disappeared and a smile appeared on her face. Mallory gave her a strange look but said nothing. It was obvious to Seina as she looked on that Tracy didn't want Mallory to know that she wasn't her favorite person in the world.

She took a seat on her yoga mat and faced the class. Twelve people were in attendance today, up from the typical eight or nine on Mondays. Everyone appeared happy except Tracy. "How is everyone today?"

"Tired," a young woman said before yawning.

"It's been a long, terrible day," another added. "My calculus professor decided to give a hard quiz and no one passed."

"He sounds like a pain in the butt," Seina said. "Who's your professor?"

"Dr. Clemons," the young woman answered shyly. She was a regular in Seina's class. She had pale skin, freckles on her cheekbones, and green eyes which complemented her beautiful, natural red hair.

Seina nodded. "If it's not too late, drop his class and sign up for Dr. Leo's class. All of his quizzes are open book."

"I was going to drop his class anyway but I'll look into taking Dr. Leo's. Plus, I've heard he's easy on the eyes." A few young women laughed including Seina and Mallory.

Seina rose from her yoga mat, walked to the front of the room, and pressed play on the stereo. Calm, relaxing, instrumental music filled the room. "Now that we've gotten that out of our systems, let's get started."

Throughout the yoga stretching session, Seina could feel Tracy's eyes on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. She caught Mallory looking at her several times with a strange look as if she was trying to tell her something. She intended to talk to her later because something was definitely going on.

After class ended almost forty-five minutes later, she observed Tracy saying something to Mallory before she gave her a death stare and left.

A concerned look covered Seina's face. "Is everything alright, Mallory?"

She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "My mother's been trying to hang out with me every chance she gets." She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Seina slung her gym bag over her shoulder and pulled a bottle of water out. "I thought you guys always hung out," she said eager to hear more. She heard the annoyance in Mallory's voice and wondered if her mother had said something that upset her.

"Why would you think that?"

"She is your mom so I just thought you guys were close."

"My mother and I have never been very close," Mallory admitted a little harshly. "The only reason why she wants to hang out is because she doesn't want me to move out of Aunt Karlita's house."

"When did you tell her?"

"She actually overheard me talking about it with Aunt Karlita."

"Oh."

"Yeah. She wasn't too upset about it but Mom was." She paused for a moment before continuing, "She didn't get upset until I said that I'd have my own place—just like you."

Seina took a large gulp of water. She knew what was coming next.

"Did something ever happen between the two of you, like an argument or something?"

"No," she answered simply.

"I saw the way that she was looking at you earlier."

"Ashlynn looks at me the same way."

"But why would my mom hate you if you didn't do anything to her?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"I'll talk to her about it."

"You don't have to do that..."

"I want to because I'm curious to hear what she has to say."

Seina was curious as well even though she didn't say anything.

Chapter 5

Seina hadn't seen her mother since their discussion about Ashlynn two days ago. She missed her dearly and was more than happy when she'd given her a call.

She pictured her mother's beautiful face in her mind while setting a fruit platter with caramel dipping sauce onto the granite countertop. She'd be arriving at any second along with Tracy, Aunt Tamra, Mallory, and Ashlynn.

She practically ran to the front door the moment she heard the doorbell ring. "Coming!" she called out before opening the door. "Mom, I missed you," she said as she threw her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek.

"So you missed me, huh?" her mother said chuckling.

Seina pulled away from her to get a good look at her face with her arms still around her neck. "You're my mother so of course I missed you."

Karlita planted a kiss in return on her cheek and forehead and embraced her once again. "By the way, I took your advice," she whispered in Seina's ear. Seina could only smile at her statement. But Ashlynn, who was close enough to hear, overheard it and she knew exactly what their mother was referring to.

Mallory had been studying her mother, Tracy, for quite some time now and noticed her rolling her eyes and giving Seina nasty looks. Ashlynn's behavior wasn't any different. Mallory and Tamra seemed to be the only ones, besides Karlita, who didn't despise her.

Ashlynn sensed Mallory's eyes on her and rolled her eyes in her direction. Neither girl liked the other. Ashlynn disliked Mallory simply because she was best friends with Seina; Mallory disliked her because she'd caught her trying to sleep with her now ex-boyfriend and gossiping about her on several occasions.

As Seina's arms dropped to her side, she greeted everyone else and welcomed them into her home. She noticed her mother turn around and give Tracy and Ashlynn looks that she hadn't seen before. It was as if she was telling them to speak to her or else.

"Hi," they both said dryly to her in unison. It was quite obvious to her that they would've preferred to not speak at all. She wasn't even sure why they'd bothered to show up.

Ashlynn glanced around the lovely home as they followed Seina into the kitchen. As they passed the living room, she spotted a picture of Seina and Mallory when they were children on the coffee table. Nearby was another picture of their mother, Tamra, and Mallory with Seina at her college graduation ceremony. But she didn't notice any pictures of her or Tracy anywhere in the living room.

"So where is your husband?" Tracy asked, with the intentions of starting trouble.

Seina narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if Tracy was trying to annoy her or not but if she was this was definitely not the place to start. "He's at work."

"Is he now?" Tracy stated jokingly with a smirk. Seina didn't find it amusing and didn't care much for her aunt as it was. By this time, everyone had made their way into the kitchen and was standing near the fruit platter on the countertop near the sink.

Karlita could feel the tension in the room as could the other ladies and quickly stood in between Seina and Tracy. "Leave Seina alone, Tracy!" she yelled. "Now I didn't bring you here for this. I told you to come here because..."

"Yeah, I know why," Tracy said, cutting her off. "And I don't care."

Mallory stared at her mother in awe. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she hated Seina so much. With Ashlynn, she was sure it was just jealously, but she wasn't sure about her mother's reason. Ashlynn just sat back and stared waiting for Seina's blood to begin to cover the floor at any second now.

Tracy angrily pointed her finger at Seina. "It's your fault that Mallory wants to move out! You've poisoned her mind!"

Mallory narrowed her eyes at her mother. Of course she would think this. She acted as if she didn't want her to grow up and have a life of her own. Well, it was too late. She was an adult and she was going to start making decisions for herself. "She didn't poison my mind, and it's not her fault that I want to move out. I'm twenty-three years old, and I want my own apartment." She wasn't a kid anymore, and she was definitely going to move out whether her mother liked it or not.

"Mallory!" Tracy snapped. "Do not talk back to me!" She then turned her attention back to Seina. "You..."

"Shut up!" Karlita shouted causing everyone to look at her in awe. "Just shut the hell up!"

Tracy looked at her startled but quickly recomposed herself. "Bitch," she said pointing her finger in Karlita's face. "Don't you ever talk to me that way! I can say whatever the fuck I want to whoever the fuck I please!"

"Tracy, what the hell is wrong with you? You have no right to talk to her that way!" Tamra cut in.

Seina frowned. No one was going to disrespect her mother in her home. She didn't know what Tracy's problem was but she was about to get a major reality check. "Tracy," she began. The entire room grew quiet and everyone's eyes were now focused on her. "I know that you hate me just like Ashlynn, but you are not going to disrespect anyone in my house, especially my mother."

"Bitch, shut the fuck up. Fuck you," Tracy said angrily.

"Get out!" Seina yelled. "And don't ever come back. You are not welcome in my home, and I don't ever want to see you on my property ever again. So get your ass out of here!"

Tracy shoved Karlita aside and pushed Seina causing her to stumble. She couldn't believe that Tracy had gone so far as to put her hands on her. She knew that Tracy hated her but she didn't know that it was as bad as it was. She could've attacked her right then and there but decided against doing so. Besides, Tracy was her mother's sister and she didn't want to break her mother's heart by severely injuring Tracy with the blade that was hidden inside her bra. All she really wanted was for her to leave her home and never come back. At this point, she didn't even care if she ever saw her ever again. And if she did, it'd be too soon.

"Bitch, I fucking hate you!" Tracy shouted repeatedly. "I hate you! I'm going to kick your ass!"

Karlita was fuming with anger. She didn't care if Tracy was family or not. She was not going to hurt her daughter. She quickly walked to the other side of the counter where her purse was located and reached inside. "If you touch Seina, you will lose a leg or an arm—maybe more," she said with her gun aimed directly at Tracy, who was now easing away from Seina.

"Oh my God!" Mallory said with her hands covering her mouth. She couldn't believe that it had come to this. She loved her mother and didn't want her to get shot. Ashlynn, on the other hand, wanted her mother to put the gun away so Tracy could do what she intended.

Tracy quickly backed away from Seina. "It's always about Seina!" she said disgustedly. "Seina this and Seina that. I'm still going to kick her ass because I hate her!"

"That's it. I'm calling the police," Tamra announced with the phone to her ear.

"Why?" Tracy snapped.

"Because you threatened my niece and I'm not going to tolerate it."

"See what I mean? It's always about her. What about me?"

Mallory was taking in every word that her mother said as she tried to make sense of it all. It was slowly becoming clear to her. She glanced in Ashlynn's direction and noticed the always present evil smirk on her face as she eyed Seina. It was as if the jealously that Ashlynn and her mother had for Seina was so strong that it had turned into pure hatred. Mallory loved Seina and couldn't imagine hating her. They'd been close since they were children. She hated to admit it to herself but she'd always been closer to Seina than her own mother, and she was almost certain that her mother was aware of that.

She could hear her mother mumbling something as the sirens gradually grew louder. If she wasn't more careful, her hatred was going to get her into serious trouble.

Seina eyed Tracy who was nervously staring at her mother and the gun. Tracy had no idea how lucky she was. If Seina were as evil as she was, she could've killed her right then and there. With an ex-police officer turned mechanic for a husband, she knew all of the right arteries and veins to hit. Tracy could feel Seina's eyes on her and gave her a look. Once she'd laid eyes on her, for a moment, it felt as if she was looking at someone else.

Chapter 6

Yesterday was one of the most chaotic days of Seina's life and it was a day that she was glad to put behind her. Antonio had been so concerned about her that he stayed home for most of the morning and held her in his arms. It wasn't until she saw that it was almost noon that she insisted he leave for work. She smiled as she thought of him while jogging outside the gym where she taught yoga.

Unwanted thoughts that she'd tried to push to the back of her mind resurfaced. Shortly before two uniformed officers escorted Tracy off the premises, Karlita told her that she was no longer welcomed in her home and that Mallory would pack her belongings and return them to her. Tracy took the house key off her key ring and handed it over to her. Then, she gave Seina the look of death. Karlita and Mallory stayed behind with Seina while Ashlynn left Seina's home with Tracy and drove her to God only knows where.

She didn't sleep well at all last night. All she could think about was Tracy and the words she'd spoken to her. "Bitch I fucking hate you! I hate you!" She wondered why Tracy hated her so much. Then she remembered something else that Tracy had said, "It's always about her. What about me?"

She slowed down her pace until she'd stopped completely. "Tracy's jealous of me just like Ashlynn," she said aloud. "The jealousy's so strong that it's..."

"...Filled with pure hatred," Mallory finished for her.

Seina turned around at the sound of her voice. She instantly noticed that her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd been crying. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear you admit the truth to yourself," she answered, while staring at Seina's shocked face.

"Mallory," she began hoping that the right words would surface, "she's your mother and..."

Mallory shook her head. "Don't apologize for her," she said sadly. "You didn't do anything wrong. The truth is my mother and Ashlynn have always been jealous of you. You were always smart and brilliant. They'd try to outdo you by taking two steps forward, but by the time they'd make it, you were too far ahead."

Seina watched a single tear roll down her cheek. "What about you? Do you hate me, too?" she heard herself ask.

"No, I love you. You're like the sister I never had, Seina," she answered while another tear rolled down her cheek. Seina closed the gap between them and hugged her younger cousin. "I didn't mean to upset you, Mallory."

She broke the embrace and looked into Seina's eyes as she spoke each word. "You didn't upset me but Tracy has for the last time." Seina stared at her in awe. "I'm not going to let my mother hurt me ever again."
Chapter 7

Tracy frowned as her eyes surveyed her surroundings. The cramped, dingy apartment was a far cry from her sister's three-story home. There was a torn couch in the left corner of the living room and a queen-sized bed with a 50-inch flat screen TV in the bedroom. A stack of one hundred dollar bills rested on the nightstand near an empty beer bottle. She knew better than to touch it or else she'd receive a beating. The cash that she'd received from Ashlynn would help her for at least a week.

If it hadn't been for Seina, Karlita wouldn't have put her out. With no place of her own, she was forced to move in with her boyfriend, Ty. She really didn't want to move in with him and wished deeply that she could go back to the only home that she'd known but that would be impossible. Karlita had chosen Seina over her.

She angrily slung her one and only duffel bag onto the bed. This was all Seina's fault. If Karlita hadn't sided with her, she could still be living in the family's home.

It was Karlita's fault as much as it was Seina's that she was now homeless. But she wouldn't remain in Ty's apartment for long. He was a known drug dealer in the area and anything could set him off at any minute. Luckily, he wasn't home at the moment. She knew that it wouldn't be long before he took his anger out on her. Although she loved him dearly, she hated it when he'd beat her in a drunken, drugged-out rage. His fists would constantly pound into her flesh, slowly killing her with each hit. Afterwards, he'd always apologize and promise that it'd be the last time but the last time would never come.

She sighed and plopped down on the bed beside her duffel bag. She reached over, unzipped it, and pulled out a picture of Mallory and Seina. Even her own daughter had sided with Seina and she had several choice words with her about it after her departure from Seina's home. She didn't regret calling Mallory on her cell to tell her how ignorant and stupid she was for choosing Seina over her. She did have one saving grace and that was Ashlynn. She'd shown her more loyalty than Karlita and Mallory. In fact, she didn't know what she would've done without her.

She took a black permanent marker out of purse and drew a large "X" over Seina's face. She had another thing coming if she thought this was over. Then she suddenly jumped at the sound of the bedroom door opening. Ty was home.

Chapter 8

Seina was growing increasingly worried about Mallory. She'd been asleep for nearly fourteen hours. She'd checked on her earlier in the guest bedroom in the home she and Antonio shared and witnessed her shoulders rise and fall so she knew that she was still breathing. But it was what Mallory had confessed to her that troubled her just as much. Hours earlier Mallory had revealed something that she'd been keeping bottled up inside for years...

"Tracy told me that she wished she would've given me away just like her first child," she confessed while crying on Seina's shoulder. Mallory was eight the first time her own mother had ever told her such a thing. She cried mountains of tears as she forced herself to recall that night to Seina.

"Mommy, your dress is so pretty," she said with excitement, eyeing the sequined short red dress that barely covered her mother's butt.

"Thank you," Tracy grinned as she applied a dark brown wig to her head. She watched her mother straighten the wig's flowing hair with her fingers and imagined what it would look like on her head. Once Tracy turned her back towards her to step into her heels—that she could barely walk in—Mallory grabbed her gold hoop earrings off the nightstand. The sparkling hoops held her attention and she tried inserting one into her newly pierced ear.

"Where are my earrings?" Tracy said while frantically searching on her nightstand. She then glanced over at Mallory who was still trying to put one of the earrings into her ear.

"Mallory!" she exclaimed as she stormed over to her side and snatched the cheap gold hoops away. "What the hell is wrong with you?" The little girl's eyes began to cloud over with tears while the sound of her mother's booming voice raged through her ears.

She rolled her eyes at her eight-year-old daughter. "Don't start crying now. You shouldn't have put your stinking ass hands on my earrings!" She watched Mallory wipe her falling tears away with the back of her hand while more tears flooded her precious face. "I should've given your ass away just like I did that first bastard child of mine." Mallory continued to cry as she processed the meaning of what her mother had told her. Her mother didn't want her and she felt as if it was her fault for touching her earrings. Instead of comforting the crying child, she left her in a heap on the floor as if she were a disgusting piece of trash that shouldn't be touched while she went on a date with Ty, the man who constantly abused her.

As soon as Karlita entered the home a few hours later, she could hear distant weeping. She instantly grew worried and ran upstairs to check on her niece. She found the poor girl on the floor crying with her knees pulled to her chest. She pulled the crying girl to her and tried to get a good look at her face. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Mallory didn't utter a word. She just couldn't bring herself to tell Aunt Karlita what she'd done.

She rolled over in bed and slowly opened her eyes. Back then she blamed herself for the earring incident but now she knew better. She may have been wrong for touching her mother's earrings, but she didn't deserve to be cursed at.

She looked towards the window and caught a glimpse of the sun shining brightly. Her relationship with her mother was non-existent and she didn't care if she ever saw her again.
Chapter 9

"Thank you for meeting me here," Tracy said to Ashlynn, as she walked into Ty's apartment. Her eyes roamed the bare apartment. She hated to see Aunt Tracy living in a dump such as this when she could be living in the family's beautiful three-story estate. But thanks to Seina, and Karlita for taking her side, Tracy was forced to stay here.

Her eyes then settled on Tracy's very noticeable black eye before traveling to strangle marks on her neck, and a dark bluish, black bruise on her left shoulder. She didn't bother to question her about it because she knew that Ty was the cause of her Aunt's bruises. Sadly, she knew the pain of being beaten by a man she loved all too well and wondered how long Tracy had been suffering at his hands.

Tracy could feel herself becoming self-conscious with Ashlynn's eyes on her. "Why are you staring?"

"Where...?"

"I got into a fight with a girl's mother who lives down the street," she answered quickly cutting her off.

She could see through her lie but continued to go along with it. "Why'd you guys get into a fight?"

"Because of Ty. I found out who the girl was he's been cheating on me with and went to her house." Her eyes began to swell with tears. "I knocked on the door and the girl's mother answered and told me to get off her property. But I shoved her bony ass out the way and went into one of the bedrooms. I didn't see anything and the house was really quiet so I was starting to think that the girl wasn't there." She closed her eyes while a tear rolled down her face. Saying the words aloud made it feel as if it was occurring all over again. "But then I heard moaning sounds coming from one of the other rooms down the hallway. I tried to open the door but it was locked. In the midst of that her mother snuck up on me and when I turned around, she punched me in the face. Then, I turned around again and saw him standing in front of the bedroom door with only his boxers on and she was..." She opened her eyes and saw Ashlynn staring back at her.

She took Tracy's hand in hers and said, "I know what really happened. That girl's mother may have punched you, but he did the rest of the damage."

Her eyes immediately hit the floor. Ashlynn was right. The girl's mother punched her, but the strangling marks and the bruise on her shoulder were there because of Ty. Once he'd driven her back to his place with the other woman's car, he pushed her inside and began to strangle her with his belt. Her eyes stung with tears as he threatened to drain all life from her body while calling her degrading names. Fat slut. Whore. Dog mixed with a pig with a whore at the other end. After several minutes, he threw the belt aside and watched her cough and gasp for air. Then, he began round two with punches to her upper body. She felt helpless and defenseless against him and begged him to stop but the pain continued. She was in a fetal position on the floor using her arms as a shield to cover her face. It wasn't until a customer came over to purchase cocaine that he actually stopped strangling and striking her bruised and battered body. Even though he'd stopped hitting her, she didn't dare move for fear that he'd start again. Instead, she waited to see if he'd come back inside.

When she heard tires screeching, she slowly but cautiously stood up and peeped out the window to see if he was still there. The other woman's car was gone and Tracy breathed a sigh of relief as she headed to the bathroom to see what damage he'd done to her this time.

Ashlynn's eyes grew teary as she held on to Aunt Tracy's hand. "I know how you feel because I've been punched and kicked so many times that I've lost count."

Tracy's jaw dropped slightly; she was shocked. She never would've thought that Ashlynn had been through something such as this. Knowing this actually made her suddenly feel an instant connection to her, like there was some sort of bond that was drawing them closer. "So who did it to you?"

"It doesn't matter. We're not together anymore," Ashlynn answered quickly, not wanting to discuss any of her past heartache. "But my point is that you don't have to stay in a relationship with him. You deserve better."

Tracy wiped her tears away with the back of her free hand and smiled at the statement. "I'm glad you think so, but I don't have anywhere else to go so I have to stay here to make the cash last."

Ashlynn smiled mischievously and released her hand that she'd been holding. "I came with more cash so that we could do a little shopping." Tracy grinned. "Did you really?"

She nodded and reached into her pocket. "Hold out your hand." She did as she was told and felt her place a small object into it. She smiled once her eyes saw the key.

Ashlynn returned the smile. "Feel free to crash in the basement. It's not like Mom or Seina ever go down there anyway."
Chapter 10

Seina watched Mallory continuously throw punches at the punching bag as if she were attacking someone. They'd arrived at the gym nearly forty minutes ago, and since then Mallory had been going at it nonstop.

Seina didn't dare question her as to why because she already knew the answer. "Tracy told me that she wished she would've given me away just like her first child."

She sadly looked on at her younger cousin who she knew was hurting inside. Tracy's words had pierced through her daughter's skin like a sharp razor blade with scars that would remain with her for years to come. And it was all because of her mother. She clenched her fist and frowned at the thought of Tracy's name. She'd never been much of an aunt and wasn't much of a mother either. What kind of mother would actually tell her own child that she should've given her away?

Mallory gave the punching bag one more hard punch before calling it a day. Sweat dripped down her aching arms, and she'd broken a few nails but was okay with it. They'd grow back eventually. She'd accomplished what she came here to do: let out some much needed steam.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me," she said sadly with her eyes on Seina. She knew what she was thinking about without even asking her. And she didn't want to talk about her.

Seina sighed. "I'm sorry about how your mother..."

"She's not my mother!" Mallory snapped, causing several people to look in their direction. She shyly turned her back towards the onlookers and added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap on you. It's not your fault. It's just...It hurts to hear something like that come from your own mother—the woman who actually gave birth to you." She paused and looked as if she might burst into tears at any minute. Seina took one step towards her and put her arm around her. "This is what I'm talking about," Mallory said, looking at her with tears in her eyes. "I've never felt a strong connection to her the way that I have with Aunt Karlita and you. Aunt Karlita has been more of a mother to me than Tracy has ever been, and you've always been like the caring big sister that I've never had."

She swallowed through the hard lump that was forming in her throat. "I know you guys love me because you show me, and I can feel it. But Tracy..." She swallowed hard again. Her eyes were still watery but no tears fell. She refused to cry over her mother any longer. "Tracy doesn't love me, Seina," she admitted with a sigh. "And I've accepted it."

Seina's heart ached for her. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to feel unloved by your own mother. Her mother, Karlita, had always been there for her whenever she needed her. They'd had their ups and downs. Even though she was now an adult, her mother was still there for her, giving her motherly advice and dropping by to cook a meal or two.

"Well, I still love you," she added.

Mallory's smile reached her eyes. "I know. I love you, too."

Chapter 11

Mallory gasped for air while she remained in what Seina called "plank position." She was using her elbows to prop herself up without her stomach or legs touching the floor while waiting for her to announce the next move. Normally Seina would lead the class in a slow yoga workout but today she was moving at a much faster pace.

"I think your cousin's trying to kill us," the girl next to Mallory whispered. "She doesn't do this all the time, but when she does, she kicks my butt every time."

"Like right now I can't stand her, but when I try to slip into my skinny jeans and find out that they fit loosely, I'll love her."

Mallory lightly chuckled and then added, "I really wouldn't come to the gym if I could motivate myself to do this at home."

The girl nodded. "Neither could I," she agreed. "So I guess we're stuck with Seina. The other yoga instructors are nice people, but they're not as good as her."

"I've been stuck with her my whole life. I might as well add another thirty minutes to that."

"Now we're going to bring it down a bit," Seina began while her eyes surveyed the class, "so let's relax in child's pose while sitting on your legs; let your head rest on your mat and extend your arms out in front of you." She heard her phone vibrate but didn't answer it. Instead, she returned her focus back to the class and said, "Let's finish by getting into everyone's favorite pose..."

"That means it's time to go sleep," Mallory stated.

Everyone chuckled including Seina. "Let's transition to corpse pose by lying flat on your back with your arms by your side and your palms facing upward. Now close your eyes and take a deep inhale and then exhale. Let's empty our minds of negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones."

Mallory wished that she could remove negative thoughts from her mind. To have any thoughts of her mother removed from her mind would've made her day. She wished that Karlita was her mother instead of Tracy. She knew that it was such a bad thing to think that but it was how she felt. Aunt Karlita would not have ever told she should've given her away. Karlita was a great mother who loved her two daughters, Seina and Ashlynn, and she expressed her love for them. But she never felt anything like this from her mother. She was not a disobedient child and she always did as she was told. But she couldn't figure out why her mother didn't love her, and after that conversation she'd had with her earlier about choosing Seina over her, she knew that she never would.

Fifteen minutes later she and Seina emerged from the class toned, sweaty, and hungry. Seina hastily walked down the stairs with Mallory on her heels.

"I'm starving, Seina. You made me sweat so much that I lost my cereal bar," she stated. "And why are you walking so fast?"

Seina stopped dead in her tracks and flashed her younger cousin a smile once she'd caught up with her.

Mallory put both hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"

"Did you finally catch up with me?" she joked while still smiling.

Mallory dropped her arms from her hips and folded them over her chest. "Just for that lunch is on you today."

Seina's beautiful smile never faded. "And how do you know if I have my debit card?"

"Oh, if..." She slightly frowned at the ever present smile on her face. "Are you joking or do you really not have your debit card?"

"Lunch is on me, Mallory," she said as she reached into her purse to grab her cell phone.

"Hey, Seina!" she heard someone call out. She and Mallory turned around just as they were about to exit the gym. They saw a red haired girl and Keelan approaching them. She dropped her cell phone back inside her purse. She'd decided that whatever it was could wait. "Hey!" they both called out back to them.

"What's her name?" she whispered to Seina.

"I have no idea."

"And she's attended your class how many times?"

"I don't know," she whispered even lower since the red head and Keelan were closer now.

"Sei-na," she panted, with one hand over her chest as she struggled to catch her breath, "I'm so sorry that I missed class. I just overslept this morning."

"It's okay and you don't have to apologize for missing class. Anyone can oversleep."

"The last yoga instructor I had told me that my toned body would turn into fat if I ever missed one of her yoga sessions."

"I can't even believe that an instructor would tell a student such a thing."

"Yeah," she smiled. "That's what he said," she said with a nod in Keelan's direction.

Seina couldn't help but notice a striking resemblance between the two. "I hope you don't mind me asking but are you guys related? You just look so much alike not to be."

"Yeah, he's my big brother," the girl responded proudly.

"And what's your name?" Mallory asked politely.

"Emma."

She smiled and shook the young woman's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well."

Then, Seina extended her arm out to her. "It's nice to meet you."

Emma chuckled. "Nice to meet you as well, Seina."

"Keelan, it's nice to see you, too," she added.

"You too," he said shyly with his hands in his pockets.

"And Keelan we've already met formally, but it's always nice to see you," Mallory said sounding a bit flirtatious.

Emma looked at her brother's face whose cheeks had turned a slight shade of pink. "Well, he doesn't have a girlfriend so if you're interested..."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that it's always nice to see him," Mallory said hoping that her words came out the way she'd intended.

Seina lightly chuckled.

"Well," Mallory began, "we were just heading out to get a bite to eat..."

"...And it's all on me," Seina added. "So would you guys like to join us?"

"Sure," Emma smiled, tugging on her brother's arm.

From the second floor of the gym, someone snapped a picture of Keelan with Emma, Seina, and Mallory and didn't waste any time sending it to Ashlynn.
Chapter 12

"How long have you guys been living in Atlanta?" Emma asked Seina and Mallory once they were seated inside a fast food restaurant.

"All of our lives," Seina responded.

"Yeah, we're from here," Mallory added while twirling her straw around in her strawberry milkshake.

"So do you like living here?" Emma asked to no one in particular.

Seina took a bite of her French fry and then a sip of her vanilla milkshake. "It's a pretty nice city. It's busy and there's always something going on."

Mallory could feel someone watching her. Her eyes roamed the fast food restaurant, but she didn't see anyone paying attention to her in particular. Then, her eyes quickly scanned the parking lot by looking through the clear glass windows. She caught a quick glimpse of an angry Ashlynn sitting in the driver's seat of her car with the window rolled down, and she was looking directly in her direction. Next, she watched her face disappear behind the driver's window as she drove off. "This city would be a lot better without all the poison," she mumbled, wondering if Seina had seen her too.

Emma gave her a puzzled look. "What?"

Keelan's back was facing Ashlynn's car but he saw her drive along the side of the building before disappearing into traffic.

Mallory dipped two French fries into ketchup and then said, "There are too many poisonous people in this city some of which I happen to be related to."

Seina nudged her with her elbow.

"Oh, well, everyone has people like that in their family," Emma added.

"Yeah, but at least you don't have Ashlynn in your family," Mallory said aloud before looking over to Keelan and adding, "Sorry Keelan."

Emma gave her brother and Mallory weird looks. She was confused as to why Mallory would apologize.

Seina nudged her again and gave her a look.

Now Emma was certain that they knew something that she didn't. Her eyes were now focused on Keelan and giving him a look, meaning that an explanation was in order.

He knew who Mallory was referring to and that Emma was completely lost, so he took it upon himself to fill her in. "Ashlynn's my girlfriend," he admitted to his younger sister.

Her face completely fell and she tried to replace it with a smile but everyone had already taken notice. "So you're dating her?" she said in awe with a look of disgust.

"I couldn't believe it either," Mallory mumbled.

This time Seina didn't nudge her.

"After everything that she's done to me, how could you possibly date her?"

Seina and Mallory leaned over the table. What in the world could Ashlynn have possibly done to Emma?

"What did she do to you?" Keelan asked with a balled up fist.

Tears formed in her eyes as she looked from her brother to Seina and Mallory and then back to Keelan. "Do you really want to know?"
Chapter 13

Before Seina had even exited her car, she knew that something was wrong. Antonio was waiting for her by the front door with his arm folded over his chest.

She stepped out of the car and began to walk towards him. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Tracy and your sister," he answered. "And why haven't you been answering your phone? I've been trying to get in contact with you all day."

Seina sighed to herself. She'd forgotten to check her phone. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I've just been busy with yoga, and I was having lunch with friends and forgot to check my phone."

"Well, Tracy and Ashlynn came by my shop today."

"So what was wrong with Ashlynn's car?"

"Nothing. Tracy got out of the car and asked me if she could come over when you weren't home to sleep with me."

Seina clenched her teeth. Her mind flashed back to when she, Mallory, and Ashlynn were children. While her parents were working at her father's construction business, Tracy would always invite her boyfriend to the home which she wasn't supposed to do. Karlita and Grant never cared for Tracy's choice of men and would only allow a boyfriend to visit if they were home. But she had an insatiable appetite for men and sex and could never remain single for even one month before the feeling of loneliness crept inside her. Although Seina knew that Tracy hated her, she never thought that she'd try to sleep with her husband. But she had another thing coming if she thought she'd let her get away with this. "And what did you say?"

"I told her to leave. I had customers to tend to."

"Did she leave?"

"Not before causing a scene. I'm sure you already know this but Tracy and Ashlynn have a bad reputation. One of my customers saw Ashlynn sitting in the car and called her a derogatory name..."

"Of course they called her a derogatory name! All she does is say hi and open wide," she said before turning around and heading back to her car.

"Wait!" Antonio called after her. "Where are you going?"

"To my mother's house."

He quickly locked the front door and then jumped into the passenger's seat. His eyes locked onto his wife's trembling hands. "Seina, please calm down," he stated with a hand on her shoulder.

She put the key into the ignition. "You want me to calm down?"

He nodded.

"Tracy propositioned you for sex and you want me to calm down?"

"Seina, baby, can I please have the car key?"

"No, I'm driving. And if you're going with me, you better put your seat belt on."

"Please, let me drive," he begged.

She rested her head against the seat. "No," she repeated.

Her hands stopped shaking. "I don't know who she thinks she is but I will fix her."

"Um..."

"What? What is it now?"

"I don't think I should tell you 'cause you're so..."

"...Angry," she finished for him. "I'm not angry yet. Now what is it?"

He swallowed hard. "Ashlynn came over the house today with Tracy right before you showed up..."

"And?"

"And she tried the same thing."

"So my younger sister who hates me tried to sleep with you too?"

"Yeah."

"Did you let her in?"

"Hell no! I wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole!" he blurted out.

"Fasten your seat belt," she said a little too calmly for him.

She was going to do a little more than give Tracy and Ashlynn a piece of her mind. They were about to see a side of her that they hadn't seen before.
Chapter 14

Ashlynn stifled a yawn and quietly walked downstairs from her bedroom. She'd been sleeping soundly until her mother and aunt's loud voices awakened her.

"I want you out of my house!" she heard her mother say to Tracy.

"So I guess you just want him to beat my ass all the time! Is that it? Of course it is. That's why you chose Seina over me!" Tracy retorted.

"I didn't tell you to date that boy. You chose to date him. I told you he was trouble and didn't know how to treat a woman. You didn't listen to me. As for Seina, I didn't choose her over you. You only see it that way because you hate her."

Ashlynn pressed her ear to the wall while standing outside the kitchen. "I've hated that bitch since she was born!" she heard Tracy yell. She smiled. She felt the same way.

"And she never did anything to you..." Karlita defended her oldest daughter. Ashlynn frowned. Seina was always their mother's favorite child. Nothing that she ever did was good enough. And then their father died and left her a larger inheritance. It just wasn't fair. She was becoming angrier with each passing second. Even Tracy and Karlita's argument was about Seina. Everything was about her and it shouldn't be that way. Why couldn't she ever come first? What did she have to do to be good enough?

"She didn't have to do anything to me! You've always treated her better than me. When she was a kid, you'd buy her cereal and juice and then you'd tell everyone not to touch it."

"I told you and Tamra not to touch it," she corrected Tracy. "Those snacks were for Seina, Mallory, and Ashlynn. You weren't five years old so you didn't need it."

"You don't get it!" Tracy screamed.

"You love her more than you love me."

"I love everyone equally."

"No you don't!"

She knew that Tracy wanted her to yell at her. She wanted to argue but she wasn't buying into it. Instead of raising her voice, she kept it level and steady. She was tired of dealing with Tracy and her foolishness. "Tracy, get out of the house."

Ashlynn peeped around the corner and saw her mother standing beside the kitchen window and Tracy standing directly in front of her. She couldn't see her face but she was sure that it was full of hatred just as hers was any time she even thought of Seina.

"You know what? If Dad was alive, he'd let me live here!"

Karlita folded her arms over her chest. "After everything you've done, Grant wouldn't want you here. And even if he did, the house is in my name. I purchased it before I married him."

Ashlynn jerked her head away quickly hoping that her mother hadn't spotted her. Grant was supposed to be Tracy's brother—not her father. So why had she and her mother lied to her all of these years? But it was what she heard Tracy say next that made her jaw drop.
Chapter 15

Tracy hastily exited the kitchen with Karlita on her heels and headed for the basement to retrieve her belongings. She walked by Ashlynn without uttering a word while her mother glared at her.

"You didn't think I'd find out, did you?" her mother asked her with the same look on her face. She was aware that she'd overheard her conversation with Tracy but she didn't care. Today was the day that she was going to make some big changes in her life. And she was just getting started.

Ashlynn played dumb. "Find out what?"

Karlita silently chuckled to herself. Ashlynn knew exactly what she was referring to but if she wanted to play dumb that was fine by her since she was about to get some "news" as well. "That you gave Tracy a key to my house."

Ashlynn put her hands on her hips. "Really?"

Her mother nodded. She didn't mind that Ashlynn wanted to act as if she didn't know anything, because in the end, she'd be getting the last laugh. "But that's okay because today you and Tracy are moving out for good."

Ashlynn gasped. "What?" She was about to give her mother a piece of her mind when she heard the doorbell ring. She didn't think that her life could possibly get any worse, but once her mother opened the front door, she learned that it could.
Chapter 16

Ashlynn didn't want to see Seina at a time like this. She'd just been kicked out of the house, and she didn't want to be around when Seina learned the news. But she'd learned some juicy news as well. She smiled evilly at the thought. Maybe seeing her wouldn't be so bad after all but Seina wasn't the person standing before her.

It was her boyfriend, Keelan and he didn't look too pleased to see her. She wasn't all that pleased to see him either especially since she'd received a text message with a picture of him hanging out with Seina, Mallory, and some girl at the gym. She didn't want him to hang around any women except her; she didn't even care too much for his mother (because Mother Keelan didn't like her).

Thoughts quickly began to flood her mind. Could Keelan have possibly been seeing Seina, Mallory, or the other girl who accompanied him to the gym? She hated to admit it but the three women were slim and attractive. But that still didn't give him the right to cheat on her even though she'd betrayed him numerous times.

"Hello, Ms. Lindley," he greeted Karlita with a smile and wave. "How are you today?"

Ashlynn watched in envy as her mother extended her arms towards him and hugged him. "Hi, Keelan. I've been better," she answered thinking of the drama with Tracy and Ashlynn in her life. She saw a young woman sitting in his car and waved. Ashlynn's eyes followed hers and her blood began to boil. Who was that girl sitting in his car?! "What about yourself?"

"I'm fine but I could be a lot better," he replied truthfully while his mind fluttered to thoughts of Ashlynn doing the unthinkable.

Karlita could hear Tracy stomping around in the house. Once she turned around, she saw some of Tracy's belongings sitting beside the front door with brand new designer duffel bags and department store bags filled with clothing that cost more than some people's monthly salary. She knew that she'd gotten the money from either her drug dealer boyfriend or Ashlynn.

She gave Ashlynn a look before resting in the living room on her recliner.

By this time, Ashlynn was furious. She didn't even bother to shut the front door so her mother couldn't hear the conversation.

"So who's that girl in your car?" she snapped at him. He didn't bother to answer her question because he knew that she wasn't finished speaking, not that he actually cared anymore. "I actually got a nice picture sent to my phone today with you hanging out with some girl, Seina, and Mallory. Oh and it gets better!"

Emma hated the suspense of it all. Keelan, just break up with her already.

"You had lunch with the bitches today! The only woman you should be having lunch with is me!" she screamed at him.

He frowned. He couldn't believe that he'd fell for someone like her. When they'd first met, she seemed like one of the most honest and brilliant women he'd ever met. But after everything he'd learned, he knew that was no longer true.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes at him. She didn't like the way that he was looking at her. It was the same look that guys gave her after hooking up. It was the look that said she was a "slut" or "garbage" without actually saying it and she hated it. "Don't look at me like that!"

His frowned deepened with a look of disgust.

"What? Aren't you gonna say something?"

Still silence.

"Are you cheating on me with any of those bitches, Keelan?"

And there it was.

"I should ask you the same thing," he began, "about a guy named David."

Her lips parted but no words came out. Seina! It had to be Seina who told him the truth because she saw her with David that night at the party. Marcella was there too but she wouldn't have uttered a word to him about anything.

"I know you slept with him the night I picked you up from his party."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because he's bragging about it to everyone in Atlanta and it's on tape."

"Tape?" David never mentioned anything about recording their hookups.

"Yeah, I saw your sex tape. He recorded it for his collection. He'll probably sell it to one of those sex companies and make millions. But I doubt you'll see a dime."

"So what if I slept with David." she spat. "You cheated on me with one or maybe even more of those bitches!"

"I never cheated on you with anybody. As for the young lady in my car, who you keep referring to as a 'bitch', that's my sister, Emma."

Ashlynn froze. She'd only met one girl by that name in her life. "Emma as in..."

"The same Emma who you and Marcella bullied in high school." He had to turn his face away from hers. Just thinking about all of the horrible things Emma had told him made him want to strangle her.

Ashlynn's head shot in the direction of his car. As if on cue, Emma stepped out of the passenger's side and began walking towards her brother.

When she turned back to face him, she saw his eyes glaring at her. "It's over, Ashlynn. Maybe now the entire city of Atlanta will stop laughing at me for being such an idiot and dating you. Now you can be somebody else's problem because you're not mine anymore," he snarled. Like a protective sister, Emma laced her fingers with her big brother's. "Bye, Ashlynn," she said before both siblings retreated to his car. Ashlynn knew she probably wouldn't ever find someone like him again, or if she did, he'd probably be an out-of-towner who would learn the truth and eventually leave her. She watched him open the passenger's door for Emma and close it before stepping into the driver's seat. Then, he sped away before her very eyes.

What a day this had turned out to be. She'd been kicked out of her mother's home and now Keelan had kicked her to the curb. Her day had gone from bad to worse and it wasn't going to get any better.
Chapter 17

Seina, Antonio, Mallory, and Tamra all arrived at the family home mere seconds apart. Seina knew that she'd tried to sleep with her husband. Ashlynn could tell just by the angry expression on her face. There was only one more thing to do and then everything would be out in the open.

Ashlynn quickly stepped back inside the house. She casted a smug look at her mother who was still sitting on her recliner. The look was a little too smug to her. Then, she heard the slamming of car doors and someone yelling Seina's name. Karlita could see Antonio chasing after her and Mallory and Tamra following close behind.

She saw Ashlynn eyeing Seina out the corner of her eye. And she didn't like the way she was looking at her. As soon as she entered the home, all hell broke loose.

"You cheap slut!" she yelled at Ashlynn with venom. "You tried to sleep with my husband!" Karlita, Mallory, and Tamra gasped while Ashlynn smiled evilly. "Where's Tracy because she tried it too."

Tracy retrieved her last duffel bag full of belongings from the basement and walked quickly to the living room. The mere sight of Seina made her angry. If it weren't for Seina, her life would be very different. She and Karlita would've had a closer relationship and she wouldn't have lost the one man that she truly loved.

"What are you doing here?" she asked Seina, not that she really cared.

"What do you think?" Seina snapped. "You two sluts," she began while pointing from Tracy to Ashlynn, "tried to sleep with my husband so now I'm letting you know to never come on my property or to his shop again!"

"I can go or do whatever I want to!" Tracy yelled at her. "So if I want to go to your house, I will!"

Her jaw tightened. "If you or Ashlynn ever come to my home again, I'll give you something special—a bullet. And you can keep it as long as you'd like."

No one in the home had ever heard Seina speak this way before but something told them that she wasn't kidding.

"I don't even know why you bother to show up. As much as you hate me, you'd think that the thing to do would be to stay away from me. But you continually come around me which I find very odd."

Karlita suddenly began to feel weak but she had to be strong. "Seina, there's a reason why she always comes around you."

Ashlynn grinned. She was about to get the worst news of her life.

"What could the reason possibly be?"

"Because she's your mother—not me," she admitted. I'm your grandmother."

Seina's heart skipped a beat. She recalled the day that Mallory poured her heart out to her. Tracy told her that she wished she would've given her away just like her first child. She was the first child Tracy was referring to. "What?!"

"Tracy gave birth to you, but I took care of you as if you were my own daughter because I love you."

"So you're not my real mother?"

"No."

"But why did you keep this from me?"

"I just wanted to protect you. I knew I'd have to tell you eventually, and I was going to do it sooner but..."

"...She cut you off the day she tried to attack me in my home," Seina finished.

Karlita nodded.

Tracy frowned. Seina was too smart for her own good.

"So who's my real dad?"

"Chris is," Tracy interrupted with a frown. "But he dumped me when I told him that I was pregnant. And I've hated you ever since then."

Tamra sighed. "Well, Tracy at least Seina's apple fell far away from your tree. You hate your own daughter because your boyfriend dumped you when you told him that you were pregnant with his child. You should've been angry with him since he was the one who abandoned you. Real men don't abandon their pregnant girlfriends or wives. But I guess that's something that you never learned." Tracy had never thought of it that way before and didn't want to. This was all Seina's fault and that was all there was to it.

"This means that you're my older sister," Mallory whispered as if they were the only two people in the room. Seina glanced in her direction but said nothing. She was still in shock since she'd learned that Tracy was her biological mother.

"What relation is Ashlynn to Seina and I, if any at all?" Mallory asked Karlita.

"Ashlynn is your sister, too," she answered.

"She's my favorite daughter," Tracy stated while glaring at Seina.

This time is was Mallory's turn to be angry with her mother. "You love Ashlynn more than Seina and me? Why? Is it because she's as coldhearted and cruel as you are?"

"Do not talk to me this way!" Tracy snapped. "I am your mother!"

"You're not acting like a mother to me, and you've never been one to Seina, your own flesh and blood."

"You will not talk to me this way!"

"It hurts to hear the truth, doesn't it? You seem a lot happier when you tell lies. It's not Seina's fault that Chris left you, but it is your fault that you don't know who my father is!" Tracy admitted to her when she was a child that she didn't know who her real father was. A sad look fell onto Seina's face as she thought about the times that Mallory had told her that she wished Grant was her biological father.

Ashlynn folded her arms over her chest and smiled. This was getting more interesting by the minute.

Tracy slapped Mallory hard but Tough Mallory didn't fall back. Before anyone could grab her, she slapped her mother hard in the face and mouth. The two physical punches she'd dealt to her mother's body would be for any lie that she'd ever told her and Seina. Antonio grabbed Tracy while Tamra grabbed Mallory to separate them.

"Whenever you look in the mirror, I hope you cry so hard your eyeballs fall out! You failed me and Seina and you've lost me for good. But I do hope that you enjoy being a mother to your favorite daughter, Ashlynn, because now she's all you have!" Mallory shouted.

Ashlynn didn't budge throughout the entire episode. She just eyed every little detail and event as if this was a soap opera. She still couldn't believe that Tracy was her biological mother. But who was her father?

Seina eyed Karlita who was sitting on the couch with her face buried in her hands. She was crying at the mess she'd made and it hurt Seina to see her so upset. Even though she'd lied to her for all of these years, she still loved her. She had always made sure that she had what she needed and took great care of her. If it weren't for her, Tracy probably would've placed her up for adoption or worse. Karlita may have lied, but she'd saved her and she was grateful.

She sat down beside the crying woman and wrapped her arms around her.

"Seina, I'm—I'm so sorry," she cried in her arms. Seina's eyes clouded over with tears, but she wasn't going to let them fall, not with Tracy and Ashlynn in the same room. "I forgive you," she said. "And I still love you, Mom."

Tracy frowned at the sight of Karlita and Seina embracing. It was just like the day in the hospital when she handed her over to her mother.

"So what are you going to name her?" Karlita asked eighteen-year-old Tracy while eyeing the beautiful baby in her arms.

"Seina," she snapped with folded arms, "as in I've seen enough of her."

Her mother shot her a look. "Her name is Seina as in she is beautiful," she corrected her. "And how can you talk like that about your baby that you've just given birth to? She is your daughter."

"I should've placed her up for adoption. It's her fault that Chris left me."

Her mother was stunned. Never had she heard such words coming out of a mother's mouth. "There's something wrong with you, Tracy. There is something terribly, terribly, wrong. A man is not ever more important than your baby."

She rolled her eyes at her mother while she was looking at the baby. She hated it when she gave her lectures and she was not in the mood to hear this one.

Although her mother had her eye on Seina, she could still see her daughter rolling her eyes at her out the corner of her eye. "You keep rolling your eyes at me if you want to! One day they're going to roll to the back of your head and you won't be able to see."

She turned her attention away from her mother briefly and then locked her eyes on Seina. What was so special about this baby anyway? It was her fault that Chris left her as she saw it. Seina was just conceived and born at the wrong time. She was a mistake.

"One day you will regret this, Tracy."

"Regret what?"

"Giving your daughter away to me. Then again this may be the best thing you could've done for her. You just don't have that motherly love for her in your heart. Since you don't love your own child, it would be very stupid to open your legs to have another one."

"I'm not going to regret anything."

Karlita shook her head at Tracy. "Seina is going to do great things in her life—things that you did not accomplish. You may not think that you will regret this but this baby is going somewhere in life. And wherever she goes, you will not go with her."

Tracy looked away from her mother and stared at the ceiling. She really needs to shut up. She has no idea what she's talking about.

"But I will make sure that she gets love from me that she will not get from you. I don't want her to ever feel as if she didn't have a mother who loved her, just because you were too sorry to be there for the human being you co-created. Wherever she goes in life, I will go with her."

The latest revelation of Karlita lying to Seina for all of these years wasn't enough to break their bond. Even though she'd lied, she loved Seina, her first grandchild, dearly and she could feel her grandmother's love.

Ashlynn hated seeing them together this way. Even if she'd been kicked out of the house, she wanted to leave a parting gift. "And to think that this is all because you kept a secret about Seina. You didn't even mention that Tracy and Tamra are your daughters and not your sisters."

"Ashlynn," Mallory interrupted, "Tracy knew about all of this too so you can't just blame her."

"Did I ask you?" she snapped at Mallory. "Mind your business!"

"The only reason you're so upset is because Aunt Karlita, I mean, Grandma and Seina are close. And you can't stand it. I know they're close but I'm fine with it. But I guess you want her all too yourself, right?" She didn't even give Ashlynn time to give a response. "Well, get over your fucking self because it's not going to ever happen. Even if Seina and I die long before you do, you will never be able to have a bond as strong as the one that Seina and I have developed with her. Just like Tracy, you have been disrespectful and disobedient to the one person in the world who gave you a place to stay when you didn't have anywhere else to go. If I were Aunt Karlita..."

"Bitch, she's Grandma to you, remember?" Ashlynn interrupted.

"And if I were her," Mallory said as her voice rose, "I wouldn't claim you as my family at all."

She rolled her eyes at Mallory before turning her attention back to Seina and Karlita, her grandmother, with folded arms. "So what do you have to say for yourself, Karlita Lindley? The most perfect woman in the world who caused all of this drama."

She sniffled as her eyebrows creased. "You are just like your mother, Tracy, and I really hate that you turned out that way. Your grandfather and I saw that very early on. Despite that he still left you an inheritance because he didn't want you to be penniless. But you didn't appreciate it because you received less than Seina. You still compared yourself to her; you do it so much that you're not even proud of yourself or your accomplishments. I love you; however, I cannot continue to live this way. I will no longer tolerate your disobedience. So be sure that you get all of your belongings out the house."

Seina and Mallory made eye contact but said nothing. Karlita had finally gotten tired of Ashlynn and was putting her out for good. They both knew that it was coming but they didn't think it would occur so soon.

Ashlynn glared at Seina. "You wouldn't be kicking me out if it weren't for her," she snapped.

"I wouldn't be kicking you out if you weren't disobedient. You disrespected me in my own home, and I'm supposed to let you stay here?"

"But we're supposed to be a family!" she argued.

"Let's say you had your own apartment and I was living with you. If we got into an argument and I disrespected you, would you allow me to continue living with you?"

"No, but that's different. You couldn't talk to me like that in my apartment. But how I talk to you doesn't matter. I should still be able to live here."

"And that's why I'm putting you out."

Ashlynn folded her arms over her busty chest and let out a deep sigh while eyeing Seina with pure hatred. She didn't respond to her grandmother instead she ran upstairs and began packing her belongings. Now she'd definitely have to get her own place and pay rent or a mortgage. And that was something she didn't want to do. She'd rather stay at Karlita's and not pay rent. But she should've known something like this would happen. Her grandmother had been on her butt about paying rent. Yes, it was true that she used the electricity and water. But why should she have to help with the bills? The way she saw it she should be able to live at home free without paying for any bills. But now things had changed and she didn't like it.

"I will also be getting all of the locks changed on the doors," Karlita said to Tracy. Although Ashlynn was upstairs, she still heard the statement and tossed one of her suitcases down the stairs narrowly missing Mallory.

Dammit! I missed, she thought with her eyes glued to Seina.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you want to go to prison for murder because I will press charges!" Mallory shouted.

"Shut up!" Ashlynn yelled at her while standing at the top of the staircase. "What are you going to do?" she asked with her attention now focused on her grandmother. "Are you going to pull your gun out on me, too?"

Karlita placed both hands on her hips and gazed directly at her. "Girl, you better get your ass out of my house! You don't want me to shoot you because I might not be able to stop. Once you get out of my house, if you die it'll be because the streets killed you, not me. You didn't want to pay me any rent, but you will pay your landlord."

She rolled her eyes at her grandmother and walked downstairs with her remaining luggage in tow. Then, she turned the suitcase that she'd attempted to hit Seina with in an upright position so that it would roll on its wheels. "You never loved me!" she shouted to Karlita.

"I love you, Ashlynn. You've just stayed past your welcome."

She rolled her eyes at her once more and headed for the front door with Tracy close behind her.
Chapter 18

Seina knelt down beside her grandmother in the living room as they both sat on the rug. "Are you sure you don't hate me?" her grandmother asked while holding on to Seina's hand for dear life.

"I don't hate you," she responded. She was trying her best to fight back the tears. "I love you too much to hate you, Mom." A tear slowly rolled down her cheek followed by another. "Even though you're really my grandmother, I can't call you that because to me you're still my mom." She wiped the rolling tears away with her hand.

Karlita sniffled while her waterworks flowed. "I was just so, so scared that you'd hate me. But I couldn't let Tracy give you up for adoption so Grant and I legally adopted you and Mallory. But we never legally adopted Ashlynn. Tracy acted as if she was going to have a heart attack if we did so. I don't know why since your grandfather and I were the ones who always purchased the food and diapers."

Mallory sat down beside Seina on the rug. "So you mean to tell me that you legally adopted Seina and me and my mother didn't object?"

Karlita nodded. "It's true. I still have all of the paperwork upstairs."

"But she didn't want you to legally adopt Ashlynn?"

"No."

"Probably because she knew that Ashlynn would be her mini-me." She sighed and felt herself getting choked up with tears while her eyes burned. "I knew she never really loved me."

Seina rubbed her shoulder. "She doesn't love me either, but I still love you." Mallory smiled at her. "I know. I love you, too."

Seina then dropped her hand from Mallory's shoulder and locked her sights on to her grandmother, who she still considered her mother. "I know that if it weren't for you, I would've been placed for adoption."

Although her grandmother had lied to her for all of these years, she still loved her dearly. But a part of her was angry that she'd kept this secret from her and that Tracy was her biological mother. Out of all the women in the world, why did Tracy Lindley have to be her mother? She'd tried to sleep with her husband and she tried to attack her in her own home. Ashlynn wasn't any better as a sister. Her relationship with them had been over long before it had a chance to get started.
Chapter 19

"And that's what happened," Ashlynn said to Marcella after informing her of the day's events. She'd left out a few facts such as trying to sleep with her sister's husband and trying to hit her with a suitcase. She and Tracy weren't on the best of terms with other family members so the only other option was to stay with Marcella until they could find their own place.

Marcella rose from her seated position on her cozy living room sofa and entered the kitchen to retrieve a large pepperoni pizza that she'd had delivered only moments earlier. "Sounds like you two have had quite the day," she said once she'd returned with the pizza and set it on the coffee table in the living room. Ashlynn and Tracy hadn't eaten all day so they were starving and both quickly grabbed a slice of pizza.

"Don't remind me," Ashlynn mumbled after gulping down a soda. She'd been thinking about Seina and her grandmother since she'd been kicked out of the home. At first she couldn't believe that Tracy was her biological mother, but it actually made sense the more she thought about it. She and Tracy seemed to have more in common whether it was their shared taste in men, bad tempers, or hatred for Seina. Now Tracy was the only family member in her life who mattered now.

Marcella grabbed a slice of pizza and then sat down on the sofa with a blanket covering her legs. She could see Ashlynn looking at her phone with a frown on her face. Then, she watched her give Tracy a weird look before handing it over to her. Tracy then stood up with the phone in one hand and pizza in the other and walked outside.

Marcella continued to eat her pizza and briefly looked away as if she hadn't seen a thing. Once she'd finished, she wiped her hands with a paper towel before turning her attention back to Ashlynn who was now quietly sitting on the other end of the sofa. "I know that you hate your sister, Seina," she began, "but it's really sad that you guys don't get along."

Ashlynn frowned. "Why are you defending her?"

"I'm not defending her. I'm just saying that it's really sad that when you need help, you can't turn to your sister."

"Whatever," she heard Ashlynn mumble. "I wouldn't know what that feels like."

"Why do you hate Seina?" she pressed. "She seems like a really good person but she must've done something to make you hate her so much."

Ashlynn eyed her with hatred aimed at someone who wasn't even there. "Seina being alive is enough for me to hate her," she responded coldly.

"You want her dead, don't you?"

"Well," Ashlynn paused, "if I told you what you're expecting to hear, you'd think I was planning to kill her. On top of that you'd think lowly of me since I'd killed my perfect sister."

"You haven't killed anyone that I know of and half the city still thinks lowly of you," she pointed out.

"Well, thank you for that," she said in an unkind way.

"But I doubt Seina and your grandmother think lowly of you. In fact, I'm sure they still love you."

She was sure that Seina hated her guts especially since she'd tried to sleep with her husband. "Get to the point."

"Your sister and grandmother are very nice people, too nice to be exact. But I'm not that nice. I'm not going to let you live with me without paying any rent."

She eyed Marcella without saying a word. She wouldn't even pay Karlita rent so she didn't know what made her think she'd pay her anything.

"You used your grandmother until she was tired of you but you won't get that far with me," Marcella continued. She could now hear Tracy's voice screaming at whoever was on the other end. "And neither will she," she added referring to Tracy. "She'll have to pay her way just like you."

She overheard Seina telling Karlita that she should make Ashlynn pay rent not too long ago. "She's not in college; she doesn't have a job. All she does is eat, sleep, and go to parties. She should pay you something each month. I don't care if she only pays you two hundred bucks a month. She needs to pay you something for the food she eats and the water she drinks. Ashlynn needs to know that everything in life isn't free. Life isn't all one big party..." Karlita putting her out of her home meant that she'd had enough of her shenanigans. Time would only tell if she'd let her back in but Marcella didn't think she would.

She tugged on something underneath her sofa's cushion that she'd been keeping for a day like this. Then, she reached over and set it down beside Ashlynn. "I knew the day would come that I'd have to give you an apartment guide. I actually found this place in there," she said referring to her apartment. "There are a lot of apartments at different price points so you won't have a hard time finding something to suit your needs."

Ashlynn rolled her eyes so hard that Marcella wished they would've gotten stuck. "If you keep threatening me, we're going to have a problem."

"I haven't put a gun to your head, have I?"

Ashlynn didn't respond.

"Then I'm not threatening you. You feel that way because I'm telling you something that you don't want to hear. My bills will increase with you two living here so it's only fair that you guys pay rent. All you'd have to pay is one hundred and fifty bucks a month each which is really not a bad price. That way you guys can still save money to find your own place." Ashlynn rolled her eyes again. "It's either that or the both of you will be homeless."

"You were after my money this entire time, weren't you?" she said her voice rising with anger.

"If I were after your money, I would've robbed you, but I work really hard to ensure that I have a place to stay and food to eat. It's called being self-sufficient and an adult. It's not easy, but if you want to make something out of yourself in life, you have to work hard to get there."

"You sound just like that bitch..."

"Nothing in life is free Ashlynn. A lot of people would've charged you a lot more than that, but I'm being quite generous with the price here because you need somewhere to stay."

Ashlynn stood up and bolted for the front door. Then, she slightly turned around to make eye contact with Marcella who was still sitting on the sofa. "Some friend you turned out to be."

"I'm the only friend you have left since everyone else is gone."

"I still have Tracy, my mother, unlike you. You don't have anyone but yourself."

Marcella clenched her teeth. Ashlynn was referring to her parents who died in a plane crash when she was in fourth grade. Since that day she'd lived with her grandmother until she was eighteen. She tried attending college but school wasn't for her so she dropped out and began working as a waitress. Over the past few years, she'd cut back on visiting her grandmother since she had dementia and no longer recognized her. She still loved her but she'd rather remember who she was when she was a kid than see her in her current state.

"Now I know why everyone hates you." She jumped up from the couch and opened the door for her. "Goodbye, Ashlynn," she said as she watched her angrily walk outside next to a stunned Tracy who was still talking on the phone. "If I ever see your ass again, it'll be way too soon." And with that she slammed the door shut in her face. Now she'd lost the only best friend she ever had, and she was homeless again for the second time in one day.
Chapter 20

Darkness surrounded Seina Santiago and she felt as if she'd never find her way out of it. Nearly two weeks had passed since she'd discovered that Tracy was her biological mother and Karlita was her grandmother. Since then, she hadn't spoken to Karlita or Tracy, who she didn't intend to speak to ever again. Her grandmother had called her home countless times in hopes of speaking with her, but she wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. Even though she'd lied, Seina still loved her. Whenever she was sick, Karlita would rush to her home to care for her. If Antonio was working and she felt lonely, Karlita would come over and hold her in her arms while gently rubbing her back. She couldn't deny the love that was in her heart for her grandmother. But no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't picture Karlita Lindley as being her grandmother. She was still simply "Mom" to her.

She closed her eyes while in bed and tried to fall asleep. But before she could, tears fell onto her pillowcase.

She awoke the next day to the smell of fast food. Seina sat in an upright position in bed and yawned. Antonio who was sitting on the other side of the bed leaned over and kissed her. "This is for you," he said pushing the bag of food towards her.

"Thanks." She hadn't really eaten much in the past two weeks since she didn't have much of an appetite. She'd already lost five pounds. But with a burger and fries filling her nostrils, she could feel her appetite coming back.

Antonio was pleased to see his wife eating something. He hadn't seen her eat so much since they had returned from Karlita's home. He knew she was hurting and it pained him to see her that way. He couldn't take her pain away, but he was going to make sure that she didn't starve to death.

"What time is it?" she asked, before stuffing another French fry in her mouth.

"Noon," he answered.

"And you're still here? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Yeah but I took a personal day."

"I can take care of myself so go to work."

He ignored her demand and said, "You're more important to me than work." She paused and stared at him. For a moment, he thought she was going to burst into tears until she began eating again.

"That was delicious. Thanks for the food," she said after finishing lunch. "But you really don't have to stay home because of me. You can go to work if you really want to."

He draped an arm over her shoulder. "I am where I'm supposed to be right now."

She smiled at him. Antonio was exactly where he wanted to be and that was with her. Although her wonderful husband was right beside her, her thoughts were elsewhere.
Chapter 21

Ashlynn Lindley woke up with a plan—maybe her most brilliant one to date. This one was going to hurt Seina financially. She wasn't sure how much money she had left from her inheritance but she wanted to make sure that she couldn't make money doing what she loved—working as a yoga instructor. Besides, it would only be fair for Seina to get fired. After all it was her fault that Ashlynn's life was a complete mess.

Since she and Tracy left Marcella's apartment they had been living in a hotel. She tried waking Tracy but to no avail. However, she knew that Tracy would be pleased once she returned.

An evil grin covered Ashlynn's face as she entered the gym. She was only a few minutes away from ruining the life of the woman she hated the most in the world.

"Good morning," a young woman greeted her at the front desk. She ignored her friendly greeting. She took in the young woman's thin appearance. Just looking at her was making Ashlynn hungry. "I need to speak to the manager. I have a complaint about an employee that works here."

"I'm sorry but the manager..."

"The manager better be available, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

The young woman's face turned sour. "The manager's currently in a meeting but I can leave a message for him if you'd like."

She rolled her eyes. She was becoming impatient. This is not the way she'd planned things. She wanted to speak with the manager one on one to inform him that Seina was a screw up. "I feel as if I'm talking to a robot. Do you not understand English? I want to speak to the fucking manager, and I don't care if you have to drag him out of the meeting by his hair. I want to speak to him now!"

An older woman walked out of an office nearby and approached the front desk. My name is Lory and I'm the manager. How can I help you?"

Ashlynn eyed her up and down with a frown. "The manager's a man not a woman," she said coldly.

"That's our assistant manager, Tom. He's currently in a meeting, but I'm the general manager, Lory."

Ashlynn was growing happier by the minute. A general manager had more power than the assistant manager. Maybe her plan would still work after all. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Sure. We can talk in my office."
Chapter 22

Karlita was on the verge of breaking down into tears once more. This was the fifth time that she'd tried to reach Seina today, and she still wouldn't answer the phone.

Mallory anxiously watched her from the top of the staircase. She felt sadness in her heart for her grandmother because she knew that she didn't intend to hurt Seina or anyone for that matter. However, she could understand why Seina would be angry since she'd lied to her about being her mother for twenty-four years of her life. Now it seemed as if the two people who loved each other more than anything had finally been pulled a part. Mallory wondered if Ashlynn was pleased since she despised Seina. She knew Tracy would've been thrilled but she hadn't thought much of her lately so she really didn't care.

Karlita stood from her recliner and set her cell phone onto the coffee table. She wanted so badly to get into her car and drive to Seina's home but those times were over. "Mallory," she called out. She quickly made her way down the stairs and to the older woman's side. "Do you think that Seina will ever talk to me again?"

"Of course she'll talk to you again. Seina is crazy about you."

"I've called her so many times that I've lost count."

"She just found out that the woman who she has been calling 'Mom' all of these years isn't her biological mother. She still loves you. She just needs time to herself."

Karlita wondered how differently things would've turned out if she'd told her the truth from the beginning. There was no doubt in her mind that they would've been having fun together doing whatever they chose to do. Several tears rolled down her face as her heart ached for her oldest granddaughter whom she'd cared for as her own child.

Mallory hated to see her this way. Seeing her so upset made her want to burst into tears. She took her grandmother's hand away from her face and kissed it before embracing her in a long hug. She could feel her head resting against her shoulder. "I know you're right," she heard her say. "I should just give Seina time but I miss her so much."

"You're supposed to miss her. You took care of her as if she were your own—even me. If it weren't for you, there's no telling what would've happened to us."

Karlita lifted her head from Mallory's shoulder until they were face to face. "Do you really think that she'll ever speak to me again?" Now Mallory could feel a lump forming in her throat. "Yes, she'll speak to you again because she loves you," she reassured her grandmother. "You did what you thought was best for Seina. She even admitted to you that she still loved you. Besides if it weren't for you, she may have been given up for adoption. So stop being so hard on yourself. Just give her some time and let her come to you."

"I know," her grandmother added, "but it hurts so much."

Mallory's eyes teared up again. As soon as she could sneak away from her grandmother, she was going to give Seina a call.

Suddenly she felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She instantly looked down and saw that her grandmother had collapsed in her arms. "Oh, my God!" she screamed in panic while shaking her shoulders repeatedly. "Please, wake up!" She wished that Tamra was home. She would've known exactly what to do without panicking. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 9-1-1. She just hoped that they'd get to the hospital in time so that her grandmother wouldn't die of a broken heart.
Chapter 23

Seina had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. She'd already received a call from her manager, Lory, about Ashlynn trying to get her fired. Ashlynn told her that Seina never allowed her to take a break during her yoga sessions. But Lory was too smart to fall for her lies. She'd never seen Ashlynn at the gym before. However, she did check the gym's security cameras and the only time that she'd appeared on them was the morning that she'd arrived.

She sighed loudly as she turned onto her left side in bed. Ashlynn hated her and that was all there was to it. Her thoughts were consumed with Seina from the time she woke up until she went to sleep. Seina considered doing something that she knew would land her into serious trouble but decided against it. Ashlynn would get what was coming to her soon enough, and when she did, she would not be the cause of it.

She was almost asleep when she felt Antonio's strong yet gentle hands shaking her shoulder.

She rubbed her eyes and slightly turned to face him. "What is it?" Her eyes were only halfway open so she paid no attention to the worried look on his face.

"Mallory just called the house phone," he stated. Seina's eyes remained halfway open. Mallory was staying at Karlita's so she was probably calling to arrange a meeting for them.

"Is that it?" she said annoyed.

"Your mother—grandmother," he corrected himself, "is in the hospital. Mallory said it's serious and she may not make it."

Seina jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed before running down the stairs with her husband on her heels. She could feel her breath getting caught in her throat with each step she took. Her grandmother may have lied to her about being her biological mother, but she still loved her dearly. She just prayed that she wouldn't pass away before she could tell her how much she truly loved her.
Chapter 24

Ashlynn returned to the hotel room in high hopes that Seina would be fired. She'd put on the best act of her life when she informed Lory that Seina would not allow her to take breaks during intense yoga sessions. She even managed to throw in a few tears to make her lie seem more believable. Her body tingled with excitement once Lory told her that she'd "look into the matter" and "give Seina a call." She was certain that her sister would lose her position as a beloved yoga instructor and what in life could possibly be better than that?

Her eyes then lingered on Tracy's bed which had been neatly made. She knocked on the bathroom door which was slightly ajar and turned the light on. She peeped inside but there was no sign of her mother. Then, she checked the closet and sighed loudly. Tracy's belongings were gone and she knew that she could only be with one person, Ty. She wasn't a big fan of his and she wished that her mother had not gone back to him. He'd cheated and beaten her repeatedly. What could it be that made him so irresistible to her? He was a bad boy who was a dealer and lived life on the edge. She could relate since she'd dated plenty of guys like him in the past.

She sniffled as a sudden thought of Keelan crossed her mind. He was the only man she'd ever dated who actually treated her the way a woman should be treated: with respect. He opened doors for her; he'd even given her his jacket on cold nights. He didn't abuse her physically, verbally, or emotionally, and she believed that he'd truly loved her. All of that wasn't even enough to stop her from betraying him. She was aware that there was an increased chance of him discovering her indiscretions but she just couldn't stop. And now he was gone. She couldn't even talk to Marcella about her problems. Seina, Mallory, Tamra, and Karlita were definitely out of the question.

She shook all of these silly thoughts from her head. There was no use in being upset about any of this since it wasn't going to change anything. She sat on her bed and took out an apartment guide that she'd gotten from a gas station. She never thought that she'd actually have her own place someday. She really didn't want to get an apartment since she'd have to pay rent and utilities each month, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't live in hotels forever. Her inheritance was running low so she'd have to find a job and quick.

She flipped through several pages of the apartment guide before tossing it onto the floor. This isn't what she needed; she needed to do something that made her happy. She played several pop songs she'd downloaded to her phone to help get her in the mood to party. Then, she searched through a few suitcases to find the cutest dress for a party and it didn't take her long to find something with her name written all over it.

She smiled. Tonight was going to be the best night she'd had in a long time.
Chapter 25

She'd been waiting to see her here for a long time. Thanks to Ashlynn she'd caught a sexually transmitted disease from her boyfriend.

She watched her enter the apartment and look around as if she was lost. She caught her making eye contact with a young woman who was smoking a cigarette. Ashlynn slowly but surely began to make her way towards the young woman, but before she could, the girl gave her the finger and entered the kitchen with a small group of people leaving Ashlynn stunned.

She was going to make her night a lot worse. She shoved her way through the crowd and into her boyfriend's bedroom and closed the door. She knew that it would only be a matter of time until Ashlynn knocked on the door. She'd get the surprise of a lifetime when she saw her standing on the other side.

When she finally did hear a knock on the bedroom door and Ashlynn calling David's name, she swung the door open and delivered a hard slap to Ashlynn's face. "You filthy, filthy, dirty whore!" she screamed.

Ashlynn nearly lost her balance. She could feel her eyes burning with tears as she put her hand to her face. But she didn't have time to recuperate before the woman delivered a powerful blow to her head. Ashlynn's body landed on the floor while she cried out in excruciating pain. Who could be attacking her? As badly as she wanted to defend herself, she couldn't. She'd only been hit in two places but other extremities were feeling the power of the blows, too.

"You gave David a sexually transmitted disease and now I have it because of you!"

Someone finally turned the loud music off and people began to make a beeline towards all the commotion. Their sights were quickly set on a bloody Ashlynn on the floor and David's girlfriend kicking the life out of her. David and several other guys grabbed his girlfriend and pulled her away from Ashlynn.

"Lory, what are you doing?!" he shouted at her.

"You slept with that filthy whore, and I have to take pills to get rid of some sex disease she gave you! So don't you dare raise your voice at me!"

Marcella shoved her way through the crowd. She no longer considered Ashlynn a friend but she didn't wish death to her. "Ashlynn," she said while kneeling down beside her. Ashlynn's eyes were open and sad looking, and Marcella could tell that she was embarrassed. Her left cheek was swollen; she had a cut on her forehead; her short, floral blue dress was torn and covered in blood.

Marcella draped one of Ashlynn's arms around her neck. Every part of her body ached, but she still managed to stand up with Marcella's assistance. Now she was able to get a good look at the person who did this to her. Lory? Seina's manager?! Seina always managed to bring destruction in her life even when she wasn't around. She'd tried making eye contact with David but he was too busy having a screaming match with Lory.

"If I ever see you again in my boyfriend's apartment, I will kill your ass, Ashlynn Lindley!" she heard Lory shout at her while she and Marcella made it outside to her car.

"By the way, I only helped you out of there because I didn't want someone else to try to kill you," Marcella said breaking the awkward silence.

"You don't..." Ashlynn stopped mid-sentence once she'd heard her cell phone ring and answered it.

"Ashlynn, it's me, Mallory. I have some bad news to tell you."

Chapter 26

As soon as Ashlynn entered her grandmother's private room, she spotted Seina, Antonio, Mallory, and Tracy. Like her, Tracy also had bruises on her face. Mallory looked as if she wanted to say something to her but held her tongue while Seina held their grandmother's hand. Karlita was sleeping so soundly that she didn't hear a thing.

"She's sleeping so we should probably just let her get some rest," Mallory whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Seina gave her grandmother a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room and didn't make eye contact with Ashlynn or Tracy as she made her exit.

"The doctors thought that it was going to be serious but she just passed out from dehydration. So they're going to keep her here for a couple of days until she's well enough to go home," Mallory informed Ashlynn once they were in the waiting room. Ashlynn didn't respond. She only came to see if her grandmother would die. She seriously doubted that she'd leave her any money but she came anyway.

She turned her attention to Seina who was standing beside Antonio. She had a blank stare on her face and she couldn't tell if she was angry or sad. She was sure that she'd lost her job as a yoga instructor. Since Lory hated her, she was almost certain that now she'd hate Seina too. But she had to know for sure. "How was the talk with Lory?"

"It was exactly what I'd expected," Seina said with a frown.

Although Ashlynn's face was still hurting from Lory's punches, she managed a wicked smile.

"If you were Satan's daughter, he'd be very proud but not proud enough since every evil deed you do fails."

The wicked smile faded. Her plan didn't work?! How could Lory let her keep her job after all of the information that she'd given her?

"You tried to hurt me," Seina continued, "but it didn't work."

"When I hurt you, it's my way of telling you that I hate you and you don't belong in this family," Ashlynn stated. Tracy nodded in agreement.

"When I don't come around you, it's my way of telling you that you don't belong in my life," Seina said. "You never did." With that she turned around and walked back into the private room while holding Antonio's hand to be near her grandmother.
Epilogue

One year later...

Ashlynn slowly walked into her apartment and shut the front door with her foot. Then she slung her backpack onto the floor before resting on her used, old, brown sofa. She reached over onto her rustic coffee table and grabbed the remote while hoping that watching television would take her mind off the one person she hated the most.

It had been a full year since she'd seen Seina in the hospital while visiting their sick grandmother, Karlita. After that day, she didn't try to contact her in anyway and neither did Seina. With the last comment that Seina said to her: "When I don't come around you, it's my way of telling you that you don't belong in my life. You never did." She knew that her older sister didn't want to have anything to do with her. The same sister who tried to be nice to her and spend time with her as a child was no longer acknowledging her existence. Even so, she still found her daily thoughts consumed with her.

Since then, she'd gotten a one bedroom and one bathroom apartment with the last remaining portion of her inheritance. Then she enrolled in a two year community college, to compete with Seina, and was majoring in nursing. Although she didn't care much for school, she wanted to push herself harder and get a bachelor's degree in nursing, since Seina had a bachelor's degree. From there she wanted to obtain a master's degree and a PhD, since Seina didn't have one.

Although Ashlynn attended class during the day, she worked part-time at the campus book store at night. She hated working as a cashier because she had to stand on her feet all the time, and when the store wasn't busy, she had to stock merchandise. Plus, she was only making minimum wage. Other than that things were going good at her new job until her coworkers discovered something from her past.

Late one evening she overheard them talking about how she tried to sleep with her sister's husband and that she bullied Emma. She didn't say anything to defend herself because she was outnumbered. After her shift ended, she walked to her car visibly angry and then saw a familiar face with books in tow approaching her own car as well.

"Hello, Bitch!" she called out to Emma.

"Hello, Whore!" Emma retorted.

Her eyes widened at Emma's words as she hurriedly approached the young woman before she could leave. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

"The same girl who was my tormentor in school."

"You were an easy target."

"And now you're the easy target—for your coworkers."

She frowned while Emma grinned. "You've hurt so many people and it has gotten to the point to where no one wants to have anything to do with you, not even Seina or your grandmother. So no matter what you do, your past will always come back to haunt you." For the first time in her life, Ashlynn Lindley couldn't think of anything to say. She just watched Emma get into her car and take off in silence.

Following that day, she quit her part-time job at the campus book store and accepted a job as a cashier at another book store across town. She wasn't making minimum wage but it still wasn't as much as Seina was making. She'd spend her life trying to catch up.

When Tracy abruptly left the hotel room she was sharing with Ashlynn, she moved in with Ty. Since then he'd kicked her out several times forcing her to stay with Ashlynn until they made-up. She hadn't seen Seina but she did occasionally run into her mother, Karlita, across town. Her mother could always tell when she'd been with Ty because of the bruises on her face, shoulders, and arms.

"Hey, Mom," she'd always say in a low voice while she held her head down as if she was embarrassed.

"Hey, Tracy." She tried to ignore the bruises that were screaming at her. She'd told her countless times to leave him but she wouldn't listen. "How are you?"

"Fine," she'd answer with a short-lived smile. "How is Mallory?"

"She's doing great..."

"How about Seina? How is she?"

The first time she'd asked her mother this, she thought she was going to pass out again. Tracy never asked about Seina—ever. So why now?

"Seina's fine."

"Does she still hate me?"

"Seina never hated you. She just didn't like that you tried to sleep with her husband and..." She stopped herself.

"What?" Tracy pressed.

"It's just sad that you didn't bond with your own daughter."

A moment of silence passed before Tracy spoke, and when she did, there were tears in her eyes. "Seina," she began, "turned out good. She never would've turned out this way if I'd taken care of her when she was a child."

Karlita stared at her with her mouth slightly open. Tracy never had anything nice to say about Seina. And were those tears in her eyes?

She quickly turned her head away from her mother and said that she had to leave.

While living with Ashlynn, Tracy got a minimum wage job as a cashier in a supermarket. Once she'd saved up enough money, she rented an apartment and purchased a used car. Ty had been busted for drug possession and was doing jail time so she didn't have any frequent visitors except Ashlynn.

Once Ty had gotten out of jail, he didn't have a place to call his own. He'd lost his apartment and didn't have any money. He couldn't go to his family for help; they had left him alone a long time ago. None of the women who he'd cheated on Tracy with would be bothered with him. So he only had one place to go—Tracy.

At first he was romantic buying her gifts and flowers the way he had when he'd first met her; however, the abuse was around the corner. Then suddenly her life slowly fell into darkness while he drained life away from her body. Three weeks after he'd been released, Ty found himself locked up again but not for possession of a controlled substance. This time he was going away for murder.

Following Karlita's release from the hospital, Seina began to visit her more often at the family home. She still hadn't forgotten that her grandmother (who she still called "Mom") lied to her for most of her life, but she couldn't forget all of the good things that she'd done for her.

She couldn't move as quickly as she once could so she enjoyed having Seina around to help her. But even with Seina's help, and Mallory and Tamra's help when they weren't working, it still wasn't enough. She shared with Seina something that she'd thought long and hard about: she was going to sale the family home and move into an apartment. Seina was shocked at first but once the shock wore off, she convinced her grandmother to move in with her. She enjoyed having her close by, and she and Antonio loved her cooking.

Seina hadn't seen Ashlynn or Tracy since she'd been to the hospital. She attended Tracy's closed casket funeral with her grandmother, Antonio, Mallory, and Tamra. Ashlynn didn't attend.

Shortly afterwards, Mallory got an apartment, enrolled in cosmetology school, and opened a hair salon, Mallory's Beauty Salon. Seina and Antonio's newly opened café, Santiago's Café, was next door to Mallory's salon. Tamra promised both girls and her mother that she'd work less so that she could spend more time with the family and pay visits to the café and salon, but she was still working just as hard as ever.

Although Seina's gym manager, Lory, didn't fire her after Ashlynn's stunt, she no longer felt as if she belonged there. She would catch Lory rolling her eyes at her when she thought she wasn't looking and gossiping about her to the other employees. Instead of leaving, Seina continued working as a yoga instructor until she and Antonio opened their café. Then, she returned to the gym to give one final yoga session, found Lory afterwards and said, "I just finished my last yoga session..."

Lory, who was standing beside her office door, tried to hide her mischievous smile but Seina saw it. "For the day?"

"I'm not coming back." Lory glanced at the desk clerk and winked. "I recently opened my café, and my workout videos are coming out this fall so I really need to focus all of my energy on that and let this job go." Lory's mischievous smile faded. She hated it when her employees were more successful than her. She'd fired the last yoga instructor who became a well-known model in the Atlanta area. The young woman was satisfied with the money she was making at the gym and had no intentions of leaving. Modeling in local shows was her side job and provided her with extra money to pay her debts. Once Lory discovered this, she fired her on the spot without providing a reason as to why. But she no longer had a chance to fire Seina because she'd already quit.

Seina interrupted her thoughts. "I enjoyed working here," she began, "however I personally loved the students more than anyone else." And Lory knew exactly what she meant.

"But I do wish you the best," Seina said before walking away with her head held high. Lory and the desk clerk, who overheard the conversation, couldn't say anything. Seina and the other young woman, who Lory had fired, had the success that they both yearned for.

Later that night Seina found herself smiling again as she watched Mallory enter the café.

"Can I get some lemonade?" her youngest sister asked. "There's this little girl who's crying for it in my shop."

"Sure," Seina answered. "What size?"

"Small."

"Mallory, does her mother care if she gets lemonade?"

"No, she would get it herself but she's under the dryer."

"I'm just curious because I've met some really crazy people since Antonio and I opened this place."

"I know what you mean. But are we still up for shopping tonight?"

Seina handed her the lemonade and two chocolate chip cookies since she was giving the order to a child. Mallory tried to hand Seina the money but she pushed her hand away. "This is on me, and yes, we are still going shopping tonight."

"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," Mallory called out over her shoulder as Seina watched her last customer leave for the day.

Antonio, who had just finished cleaning up in the back room for the day, walked over to the register and wrapped his arms around Seina's tiny waist before kissing her deeply.

"When we get home tonight, we should make a baby."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Fine." She kissed the tip of his nose. "We'll make a baby after I do some shopping." Little did she know that she was already pregnant.

~ ~ ~

***To my readers: I hope you enjoyed You Don't Belong and all of the juicy drama that came with it! Please consider leaving an honest review at your favorite ebook retailer.

Valenciya

