Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits)

I suspected this day would come, but I’ve done everything in my power to keep it from happening. I was even willing to overlook the harm his mother did me, letting the lawyer walk instead of detaining him, but I should have known better.

I should have realized that Ryan needs to learn how to handle the consequences of his actions, the way I had to. Shielding him from everything the way I did only allowed his mother to bury her claws into him that much deeper, taking him beyond salvation.

I stand by the choice I’m making today, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I glance at the police officer next to me and nod, standing back as he knocks on Mona’s door.

Ryan opens the door, and regret hits me hard. I know this is going to hurt him, but I’m done burying the truth for his benefit. “Silas? What is the meaning of this?”

Mona appears behind him and Officer Davis glances at me. He and I have worked together on cases Sinclair Security has provided consultancy services for, but today is more of a personal favor. I nod at him, and he straightens.

“Mona Wright, you are under arrest on account of forgery of your husband’s will.” Ryan’s eyes widen as Officer Davis reads out her rights to her, and she sends her son a panicked look, but Ryan is looking at me.

“It’s really true?” he asks, his voice breaking.

I nod. “You know it is.”

“Ryan! Do something! Please, tell your brother to stop this. It’s all part of his vendetta against us. He’s just doing this to hurt us, Ry. This is what he’s like. Please, talk some sense into him. Don’t let him do this to me.”

He glances at his mother and takes a step back. Mona freezes in surprise, her gaze moving toward me. “What did you tell him?” she asks, her tone harsh.

“Nothing. I didn’t have to, Mona. You did this all by yourself. I would’ve let it go, you know? For Ryan, I would have spared you. You fucked up when you touched Alanna. Even then, I let it go, knowing Ryan wasn’t in on it. You should’ve counted your lucky stars and let it be once she came back to me. You never should have tried to use her to get to my assets. If you’d stayed away from her, you’d have been left with the money I paid you to acquire what you lost. Now? Now you’ll lose everything, the way I once did.”

Officer Davis leads her away, and Ryan watches her without a word. “We have the lawyer’s taped confession, but he’s told me he kept evidence too, in case she didn’t pay him his share after the deed was done. He’s willing to turn it in to lessen his own forgery sentence. She’s going to jail, Ryan.”

He nods and looks down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Silas. I didn’t see it at the time. I didn’t realize that my own mother was manipulating me to hurt you. Even when you pointed it out, I refused to acknowledge it and continued to hurt you. I know what I’ve done to you, to Alanna.” He runs a hand through his hair and stares up at the sky. “After I ripped up the papers you signed, I confronted my mother, and she told me the report she’d given me was false. I should’ve known then that she must have lied about more than just that. It doesn’t make anything right, but I truly thought I was protecting Alanna by warning her against you. The reports were just so… I guess it was convenient for me to believe it. It was easier than believing that she simply chose you over me, that I’d lost the one girl I’ve ever loved. But you were right when you told me that she was never mine. I see it now, and nothing I do or say will ever make up for the pain I’ve caused.”

I look away, a small part of me still struggling to cut ties with my brother. “No,” I tell him. “Nothing ever will.” I take a step away from him. “I told you that the moment I signed those papers, I’d also be cutting my ties with you. Those words still hold true, Ryan. I understand that your mother fed you elaborate lies, but you aren’t a child anymore. When I showed you that picture of Alanna and me and asked you to stop hurting her, to stop messing with her memories, you should have listened to me. I’ve let you do whatever you wanted, giving you chance after chance. I did it because I made Dad a promise, and I stuck to it until you gave me no other choice, even at my own expense.”

I look away and inhale deeply. “I need you to hand in the keys of the apartment I gave you, Ryan. I’ve already blocked your access to all of my accounts, and I’m taking my cars back, too. Everything I’ve done for you stops here. The only thing I’ll let you keep is your job.”

He looks down at his feet and nods, his expression somber. Ryan hands me his keys without putting up a fight, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I don’t have it in me to keep arguing with him. I’m just done with it all.

“Someday, Silas… do you think you and I can be like we used to be?”

I look at my little brother, wondering the same. “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “I’d like to think that that’s possible, but as it stands, I don’t trust you around my family. I can’t forgive you for the way you hurt Alanna, even if she does.”

“Your family,” he repeats, his voice soft. “I suppose that’s what she’s always been, huh? But what I am?”

I shake my head. “Nothing,” I tell him. “From today onward, you’re nothing to me.”

Ryan straightens, remorse leaving his eyes lowered. “I’m sorry, Silas. I realized it the moment Alanna walked into your office with tears in her eyes. She looked at you, and it’s like I didn’t even exist. That’s when I realized that there’s no way that photo of you two could have been fake. I realized that I’d hurt you both, and I walked away hoping it wasn’t too late to right my wrongs.”

“But it was,” I say.

Ryan nods. “You were there for me throughout the years, doing more than you needed to, trying your hardest to make up for the time you missed. You tried to protect me from my mother, and I thanked you by hitting you where it hurt most. I really am sorry, Silas. Despite everything I put you through, you never gave up on me, and I’ll do the same. It may not have felt like it to you recently, but you’ve always been my hero. Maybe someday, you’ll believe that again. Until then, I’ll do what you’ve wanted me to do all along. I’ll work on becoming the person Dad would have wanted me to be.”

I nod at him, hoping he means his words. Maybe someday he and I can be on speaking terms again, but I don’t see myself forgiving him for the way he hurt Alanna. There is a lot I can forgive, but not that.

No one hurts my girl and walks away unscathed.