I sat there, stunned, as Rachel drifted in and out of consciousness. Her weak breaths filled the silence, each one reminding me how close I had come to losing her. I couldn’t shake the shock of it all-Victoria, gone. Rachel, barely holding on.
Then Rachel’s eyes fluttered open again, and she looked at me with a strange, unreadable expression, as though she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
“Emma…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I leaned in, taking her hand again. “I’m here, Rachel. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
She swallowed, looking away, her fingers tightening around mine. “There’s something… I never told you.” Her voice was trembling, and I could see how much effort it took for her to get the words out.
I tilted my head, trying to read her face. “What is it?” I asked gently, not wanting to push but sensing the weight of whatever she was about to say.
Rachel took a shaky breath. “Emma, I… I don’t know how to say this. It’s just… I kept it from you for so long, and I never meant to. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
I felt a strange unease settle over me. Her eyes were filled with tears, and the look she gave me was one of such raw, painful honesty that my heart began to race.
“You can tell me,” I urged softly. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She hesitated, her gaze dropping to her hands as she struggled to find the words. “Emma… I’m your sister. Your real sister.”
My breath caught in my throat. The words didn’t make sense. My mind tried to piece them together, but it was as if they didn’t fit. “What?” I managed to whisper, barely able to comprehend.
She nodded, her face filled with a sorrow I’d never seen before. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she continued, her voice shaking. “I thought if you knew… if you knew that we were sisters, it might hurt you. I kept it a secret because… I didn’t want to lose you.”
The room seemed to spin around me. My mind raced with memories, moments that suddenly seemed to make sense. The way Rachel had always been there, looking out for me, caring about me in ways I didn’t fully understand. The bond we’d shared, even when we barely knew each other.
“You’re… my sister?” I repeated, the words feeling strange on my tongue, like a foreign language I was only beginning to understand.
She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m so sorry, Emma. I should have told you sooner. I should have been there for you like a sister should be. I kept it from you because… I thought you’ll turn out to be like Victoria.
Rachel’s last words sent a chill through me, and my heart ached at the hurt that had shaped her decisions.
“Like Victoria?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I didn’t understand; how could she think that of me? Victoria and I might be sister’s but her cruelty made me dislike her
Rachel’s words lingered, and I couldn’t shake the ache in my chest. I looked at her, searching her face for answers. “Like Victoria?” I repeated softly. “Rachel, I’m not her. Victoria’s… she’s never been someone I looked up to. Her cruelty, the way she treated others… it always made me dislike her.”
Rachel’s gaze dropped to the floor, guilt flickering in her eyes. “I know, Emma. I see that now. But for so long, I was afraid. Victoria was my sister too, and at one point, I loved her. But she changed. She became someone I could barely recognize a stranger with nothing but disdain and anger in her heart. And when I realized you were my sister, I thought… I thought you might turn out the same.”
I reached for her hand, feeling the need to bridge the distance that fear and doubt had put between us. “Rachel, we’re family. I’m not like Victoria, and I never will be. You don’t have to be afraid of losing me or being hurt again. I’m here.”
Tears slipped down Rachel’s cheeks, and she gripped my hand tightly. “Thank you, Emma. I’m sorry. I kept my distance because I thought it was safer, but it only kept us apart. I should have trusted you.”
A surge of emotion overwhelmed me, and I pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her tightly. She leaned into me, and I could feel her relief, the weight of secrets and loneliness falling away.
“We’re together now,” I murmured. “We don’t have to carry this pain alone. Whatever’s happened, whatever we’ve lost… we have each other. No more secrets.”
Rachel let out a shaky breath, holding onto me as if afraid to let go. “Thank you, Emma. For understanding, for forgiving me.”
I stroked her hair gently, feeling the warmth of connection growing between us. “Always, Rachel. I’m here for you. And I’m not going anywhere.”
For the first time, a sense of peace washed over me. We’d lost so much, but we’d also found something precious in each other.