You Again (Completed) ✔️

32.

My brothers have been drinking a lot since Cole have them their first on two hours ago.

Cole walks over to me and says. "They'll spill everything over dinner. Please, tell that it's nearly ready?"

The alarm goes off and I say. "It's ready. Let me dish it up and then you can get the boys to come in the dining room." I put the spaghetti in five bowls and carry three of them into the dining room. Placing them in front of the seat I walk back to the kitchen and grab the last two. I place one at the head of the table and the other next to Cole's.

Cole walks into the kitchen with my brothers and Veronica. Cole takes a seat at the head of the table and I sit next to him.

Antwon takes the seat next to me. While Liam sits next to Cole and Veronica.

The boys, Veronica and I start to eat dinner.

Clearing my throat I say. "Liam, Antwon. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Liam looks me in the eyes and says. "Yes, I want to tell you how much I hate you for leaving us." I feel the color drain from my face.

Hearing those words out of my brother's mouth hurts me a lot. I place my hand over my heart and I wait for him to continue telling me what he thinks. "After you left Los Angeles our family fell apart and you weren't there to help us."

I move my hand back to the table. "How did it fall apart?"

Antwon's hand wraps around his spoon and his knuckles turn white. "You're favorite Uncle stole from Dad's fortune and we lost everything."

"I didn't know."

Liam laughs. "Of course you didn't. You were too busy living your life without a care in the world. If you would have checked in on us once in a while you would have known."

It's a two way street.

Looking at him I say. "I kept in touch all the time at first. Everyone was happy to talk to me, but then things started to fall apart and not one of you told me about it. Had I known about the problems I would have come home."

Antwon slams his fist on the table. "Don't lie to us. You were afraid of Cole and you're still afraid of him. You don't trust people like you used to and that's starting to piss me off."

Can you blame me for not trusting people?

Pushing my seat back I stand up. "Everyone keeps hiding things from me." I yell. Lowering my voice I say. "Why can't you all be honest for once? What's so bad that my brothers couldn't visit me in New York?"

Liam glares at me and I see his hands form into fists. "After everything turned to shit for our family I noticed money from my car shop was stolen. I lost everything too. To deal with everything I started to take heroin the numb the pain of losing everything, including my shop. The one thing that I worked my ass off to call my own. I was messed up until a new employee saved the shop." His eyes lock into Cole's.

Cole helped my family out. Why would he do that?

Liam continues talking. "He made everything easier for us. He even told me that I can have the shop back once I had the money. After ten years I'm still paying him back."

"I'm sorry you went through all that because of Uncle Kevin." I walk away from the dining table with tears falling down my face.

The only person I trusted in the world betrayed my family and hurt them the most. How am I going to face them all the time knowing that if I was around I could have saved them from Uncle Kevin's clutches?

He took advantage of them when I was gone. He hurt them beyond recognition, but yet he was the only family member that spent time with me in New York.

I walk up the stairs the bathroom. Looking in the mirror I see tear track staining my face. Lifting my fist I smash it against the glass. Pulling my hand back I see glass shards on my hand. I lean against the bath and hold my hands away from my clothing.

Cole walks into the bathroom and sees me on the floor. "Julia," his voice breaks as he sees me. His eyes land on my hands. "I'm going to bandage your hand." He grabs the first aid kit from under the sink.

Pulling my hand into his he looks at it. "There's still shards of glass in it. I'm going to pull it out before taking care of it." Cole picks up the squeezers and start removing glass from my fist.

Looking everywhere but at him I say. "I should have died on that Island. Things would be easier for my family."

Cole grabs my chin with his hand and makes me look into his eyes. "Never," he grits his teeth. "Say that again, Julia. There's a reason you survived the tsunami and that's why you're back here in Los Angeles. You want to make things right, but wishing you were dead isn't a good thing. I love you, Julia." His eyes well up with tears and it makes me cry.

Looking at him I say. "What are you doing to me, Cole?"

He leans his forehead against mine. "I'm making you whole again. You've lived the last ten years as half a person. I can't watch that happen while you're at home." He cleans out the wound before putting a bandage on my hand.

There's a knock on the bathroom door and I see Veronica standing there. "Can I talk to you, Julia?"

"Sure," standing up I follow my best friend to the room she's sharing with my brother.

She fiddles with her hand. "I have to go back to New York."

"Why so soon?"

"I want to settle everything for out apartment before moving here. I also broke up with your brother because of the way he's acting. He needs to grow up before having a proper relationship with anyone."

"When are leaving?"

"I have to go tonight. I can't be around Liam right now." She pulls out her cheque book. "I'll pay for my part of the apartment you get here. Just don't tell your brothers where we live."

"I won't." I hug her. "Have a safe flight. Call me when you get home?"

"I will." She grabs her bag and heads down the stairs.

Walking into my room I open the curtain as a taxi pulls in front of the house.

Veronica looks up to the room and she waves at me before climbing in.

I watch the taxi drive away from the house.

Cole walks into my room and takes a seat on the bed. "There's more to the story that you're brothers are leaving out."

Turning towards him I say. "I figured. I'm guessing you play a part in this as well?"

He nods. "When I found out about your parents fortune I gave them money to start over. The vaults were compromised because of your uncle and I thought that I could help them out by giving them money to start from scratch and changing the vault name to something else. You're fathers business has slowly picked up after the arrest of your Uncle."

"Do you know where Uncle Kevin is?"

He shakes his head. "Ask your brothers."

I'll do just that.