novelraw Chapter 127: Same Old Stupid Lyse
Chapter 127: Same Old Stupid Lyse
Chapter 127: Same Old Stupid Lyse
Early in the morning, Brooke and Lottie arrived at Lyse’s apartment, their faces carefully arranged in expressions of concern and remorse. They knocked on the door and waited anxiously, fearful at the kind of reception they would receive from Lyse.
Lyse opened the door, her expression wary. She had been unsettled by Brandon’s insistent presence and was relieved to see familiar faces, even if those faces carried a history of strained interactions.
"Brooke? Mom?" she said, her voice hesitant. "What are you doing here?"
Lottie stepped forward, her eyes filled with what she hoped looked like genuine concern. "What kind of mother would I be if I did not come to see you, Lyse?" she asked softly.
Lyse’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she wondered if something had happened to alter the relationship between her, her mother and half sister, she could not understand why they looked so concerned with her. Infact, Lyse could not remember Lottie ever coming to visit her in this apartment, she was surprised that she even knew the address.
"If that is true, why did I not see you in the hospital when I woke up?" Lyse folded her arms and stared at them. "And why are you just coming the day after I came back the hospital, how caring is that?"
Lottie was taken aback by Lyse’s cold reception. She had not expected to be welcomed with open arms but she had also not thought that Lyse would question them like this. She glanced at Brooke, as if asking if she was sure that Lyse really had amnesia.
They both looked at Lyse, their expressions nervous as they tried to explain to her. They feared that she would turn them away and they would not have a chance to execute their plan.
"Your father has not been feeling very well, Lyse and I have been alternating between your hospital and his, i just got back home early this morning." Lottie said, her voice pitiful.
"Father is ill?" Lyse asked in alarm, as her arms dropped to her side. "What is wrong with him? Is he okay?"
Lottie noted happily that Lyse did not seem to hold any resentment towards her father, that must mean then that she did not remember the recent events.
"He is just feeling the stress from work, but the doctors say that he will be fine very soon." Lottie assured her.
"And I had to go to work, I came back to the hospital and the hospital staff said you had left already. We assumed that Brandon had taken you home and only just found out you were here alone in your apartment." Brooke quickly said.
She placed a hand on Lyse’s arm, her touch surprisingly gentle and her eyes earnest. "We have been so awful to you, Lyse. When you got into that accident we were so scared," she said, her voice laced with remorse. "We are so sorry. We want to make it up to you."
Lyse looked from Brooke to Lottie, her brow furrowed with suspicion. She had always felt a distance between herself and Brooke, a constant undercurrent of rivalry and resentment. And Lottie had never treated her with the warmth and affection a mother should show her daughter. This sudden display of concern felt... unnatural and it made her wonder what was going on.
"Why now?" Lyse asked, her voice cautious. "You have never... you’ve never acted like this to me before, I find it difficult to believe that you have suddenly changed."
Brooke gulped, thinking that this was harder than she had expected, she exchanged a quick glance with Lottie, who subtly nodded, urging her to continue.
"We know that, but we have been doing a lot of thinking since your accident, Lyse," Brooke said, trying to sound sincere. "We feared something happening to you and it made us realize that we have made a lot of mistakes with. We want to be there for you now, to support you."
Lottie nodded in agreement, her eyes glistening with what looked like tears. "We want you to come home with us, darling," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Let us take care of you. You should not be alone right now and there is no way I am going to take no for an answer."
Lyse hesitated. She was still feeling disoriented and confused, her memories fragmented and unreliable. Brandon’s constant presence had been unsettling, his declarations of love feeling forced and unfamiliar.
The thought of being surrounded by family, even if that family had a complicated history, was strangely more appealing than being with her overbearing boyfriend. At least, she could deal with them better than Brandon who was starting to scare her with his earnestness, there was just something false in his eyes.
She wondered why everyone seemed so different from how she remembered them.
"I... I don’t know," Lyse said, her voice hesitant.
"Please, Lyse," Brooke pleaded, her voice soft. "It would mean so much to us. We want to make things right. Let us show you how much we care for you."
"No one is here with you, James might not be back for a while." Brooke interjected. "You need someone to take care of you and who better than your family?"
Lyse looked from Brooke to Lottie again, searching their faces for any sign of deception. She could not shake the feeling that something was off, that their sudden change of heart was suspicious. But the alternative, staying in her apartment and facing Brandon’s persistent advances, felt even less appealing to her.
"Okay, fine." she said finally, her voice barely a whisper. "I will come with you."
A wave of relief washed over Brooke, mixed with a sense of victory. With Lyse back home and under their eyes, it would be easier to manipulate her and ensure that she did not get together with Brandon.
She frowned at Lyse, at the beginning she had been worried at Lyse’s coldness towards them and she feared that their ruse had been discovered. But now, she could just see that it was the same stupid old Lyse.
They helped Lyse pack a small bag, offering reassuring words and gentle touches. As they left the apartment, Lyse glanced back, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She could not shake the feeling that she was making a mistake, that she was walking into a situation she didn’t fully understand.
But she had made her decision. She would go with Brooke and Lottie, hoping that being surrounded by family, however flawed, would be better than facing the unsettling pressure from Brandon. She had no idea that she was walking into a different kind of trap, one woven with deceit and hidden agendas.