I want Her Still

Unfolding

Ana

The living room felt unusually heavy, as though the weight of everything unspoken hung in the air like thick fog. Bob stood tall, or at least tried to, as he faced the family gathered before him. His hands trembled slightly, but his voice, though raw with emotion, was steady.

Bob stood in front of them, shoulders squared like a man twice his age, though he was only nineteen. His hands trembled slightly, but his voice, though young, held a quiet conviction.

"I called this meeting because I've made a decision," he began, his eyes scanning his mother's tired face and his sister's distant expression. "Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking, thinking about what it means to be a man in this family. Big Sis has already done so much, more than any of us could've asked for. She carried the weight of our pain, our debt, and even our safety. And now, now she's paying the price for all of us."

He paused, taking a shaky breath, as emotion welled in his throat. "She's in this mess because she was trying to protect us. And if she's going to be confined,if she has to stay hidden for the sake of survival, then someone has to step up and make sure this family stays afloat."

Clara sat up straighter, her brows already beginning to knit in protest, but Bob continued.

"So I've decided, starting tomorrow, I'm going to get a job. I'll do whatever it takes night shifts, day shifts, anything. I'll work extra hard to bring money in. I don't want Ana worrying about us while she's sacrificing so much. Also, about you, Mom," he looked at her gently "Ever since this rollercoaster started haven't been using your drugs. Remember your health has always been fragile, and we can't afford to have you collapse under the weight of all this."

"So, I'll make sure our needs are met, our feeding, including mom's drugs," he said, swallowing hard. "I don't care how hard it gets I just want us to be whole again. I want peace to return to this house. So that's what I wanted to say."

There was a long silence after Bob finished. Clara's eyes shimmered with tears before her lips curled into a sharp frown.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" she snapped, her voice trembling. "Do you hear yourself, Bob? What foolish talk! How old are you even? Eighteen? And you're already talking about dropping out of college? Oh, I see what you are doing, I see where this whole thing is going, you are trying to shut me out again?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Not on my watch. This time I'll be responsible for my children, I won't stay back again and allow my feeble kids carry weight heavier than them while I sit useless! So, you'll stay in school. You'll get your degree. That's what your father would've wanted. And as for providing for the family, I'll take care of it. I will work. I'll do whatever it takes clean offices, wash dishes, stand on my feet all night if I have to. I'm your mother, and that's my job to do."

Bob's brows furrowed. "Mom, please. You haven't worked a day in your life. Not because you're lazy, but because Dad made sure you didn't have to. He protected you. And now that he's gone, you think you suddenly have to become iron? You're sick, Mom. You have congestive heart failure. You get breathless just climbing the stairs, and you haven't taken your medication in days because of all this problems with Dexter."

Clara looked away, ashamed.

Bob's voice cracked as he pushed forward. "You think I want to drop out of college? I don't. I had dreams too, Mom. I wanted to be someone. But how can I chase my dreams when my family is falling apart? How can I go sit in a lecture hall while Ana hides in shadows and you waste away from illness? No. Right now, survival comes first."

Clara's lips quivered, and then she burst out, voice thick with grief. "Don't do this to me, Bob. Not again. First it was Ana. My little girl, barely out of her teens, was burdened with the weight of our whole world. She sacrificed everything just to get us out of debt and danger. Do you have any idea how useless I felt back then, knowing Ana is out there alone fighting our battles."

Tears streamed down her face now. "And now you're telling me you will be the next to sacrifice your future while I sit here, useless again, watching again? No, Bob. No. I won't be that kind of mother. I won't be a ghost while my children burn themselves to keep me warm!"

Bob's shoulders tensed. "Mom, I seriously need your understanding here, because If anything happens to you now, we won't even have the money for your treatment."

He looked at her earnestly. "Please. Just trust me this time. Let me take care of you, just for a while. I promise I'll go back to school when things settle. But right now, survival comes first."

Clara's eyes welled with tears. She opened her mouth to argue, but Ana, who had been silently listening from her spot by the stairs, finally intervened. Her voice was quiet but firm, laced with exhaustion.

"That's enough!" she said. "No one is dropping out of school. You have admired the Lopez and wanted to be a tech_guru just like them, so you will go back to school and achieve just that! And Mom, when dad was alive he didn't let you work because of your health, and it will stay that way. Instead, I'll be the one working!" Ana suddenly said.

Clara and Bob turned to her, startled by the sudden sharpness in her voice.

"What? You want to work, and what happens when the Lopez finds you? Then it will be over for all of us. For now you have to stay hidden. So hell no will we allow that" Bob fired back.

Ana stepped forward, her expression unreadable. "I have thought about the situation we are in with serious deliberation, which is why I have made my decision."

She took a breath, her next words slow and deliberate. "Tomorrow," Ana said softly, her voice calm but resolute. "I'm going to undergo facial surgery. I have spoken to Victor for help. He already found a reliable hospital, I'll go there tomorrow and have the surgery done. Which means a new face, and a new identity"

The room fell still. Even the ticking of the wall clock seemed to pause.

"What?" Bob's eyes widened. "Facial surgery? Are you serious? Because of the whole Lopez madness, you're actually going to change your face? T_thats a whole lot, plus it's sure gonna be expensive and we don't have that kind of money for now"

Ana nodded. "Well. Dexter gave us some money before he let us go, and I've decided to use part of it to change my appearance. The rest, I'll use to buy a small house. Somewhere quiet, remote. Maybe in Epe, or Zurich, far away from the city noise and chaos. A place where no one knows us. A place we can finally breathe and just live."

Bob shook his head, still trying to grasp her words. "Ana, that's a lot. Surgery is, it's permanent. You're really ready to do that?"

Ana's gaze didn't falter. "I'd rather lose this face and gain my freedom than be imprisoned in fear for the rest of my life. I don't want to keep hiding in the shadows, looking over my shoulder every second."

She took a deep breath, then continued. "Once I've healed, I'll get a job. We'll move into the house. You can go back to school, and we'll finally get Mom the medical care she desperately needs. No more running. No more living half-lives."

Bob was quiet for a long moment. Then he exhaled slowly. "Wow, I mean, that's some heavy thinking, Sis. A surgery, God, it's a big step. But now that I think about it, it's genius. You're brilliant! How did I not think of this? With a new face, you can walk freely, be whoever you want to be. You're a genius, Ana. I'm your number one fan now."

He paused, then chuckled nervously. "But, are you sure there's no trail left? Nothing that could link you back?"

Ana gave a slight smile. "Dexter took every precaution. He got me a new identity Tyler Ross. New name, new records, a clean slate. Even my fingerprints have been covered with synthetic pads. Everything he thought he knew about me was fake. My job, my address, my background it was all constructed to protect me."

Bob slowly nodded, a mix of awe and sadness on his face. "Then I guess this is good news. It's progress. We're finally seeing light at the end of this nightmare."

Clara who had been silent until now, looked like she might collapse. She sat down slowly, pressing a hand to her chest and then finally spoke, her voice trembling. "You've already been through too much, Ana. Please, let me handle things from here."

Ana turned to her, her eyes soft. "Mom, we just buried Dad. We can't afford to lose you too. I said I've got this, and I meant it. Have I ever let this family down?"

Before her mother could answer, Ana stood. "I'll go make dinner."

She turned to leave, but Bob's voice stopped her at the door.

"But, it makes me sad, you know," he said quietly. "To think that my beautiful sister is about to lose her perfect face because of the Lopez mess. I'll never forgive myself if you come out of that surgery looking like a cartoon character."

Ana laughed, a light, airy sound. "Who says anything about becoming ugly? I might even come out looking prettier. Who knows?" She winked at him and walked away.

Clara watched Ana's silhouette fade down the hallway, her footsteps light, almost ghostlike, and something inside her cracked. Her lips trembled as she pressed a hand to her chest. The tears came fast, hot, and silent at first then with a sob that shook her entire body.

"My poor little girl," she whispered, voice choked with anguish. "She's still so young, yet she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's given up everything her freedom, her face, her future all to protect us. And what have I done? Nothing..."

She broke down in sobs.

Bob quickly stood and rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she cried.

Bob held her closer, his hand rubbing soft circles across her back.

"Mom," he said softly, his voice full of quiet strength, "please don't say that. You are not useless. Don't you ever say that again."

Clara shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "But I let her do everything. I just watched while she fell apart for us."

"No," Bob said firmly, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. "Don't carry that guilt. You've done more than you realize. And Mom, maybe, just maybe instead of feeling broken, you could try seeing things from a different perspective."

He gave her a faint smile, one weighted with wisdom beyond his years. "God knew what you were up against. He saw your pain, your illness, your struggles. And so He gave you Ana, fierce, selfless, brave. He gave you me. Strong kids. Kids who love you enough to stand when you can't. That's not failure, Mom. That's a blessing."

Clara sobbed harder now, her tears soaking into her son's shirt. "But I wanted to be strong for you," she cried. "I wanted to be the one to protect you both,"

"And you are," Bob whispered, hugging her tighter. "You gave us life. You raised us with love. You gave Ana the heart that would move mountains to save us. You gave me the strength to want to carry on. That's not weakness, Mom. That's strength."

He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "So don't cry. Please. We're going to be okay. Once I finish school, I'll stand beside Ana, and we'll make sure you never have to lift another burden again."

Clara closed her eyes, the warmth of her son's embrace wrapping around her like a balm to her broken heart. And though the pain didn't leave her, in that moment, she felt just a little less alone.

Damien POV

Later that evening, Damien sat alone in his study, the air heavy and still, until the door creaked open.

Vivian walked in, balancing a tray of food. "You're not starving yourself on my watch because of some woman," she snapped as she placed the tray in front of him.

"I'm not hungry," Damien muttered.

"I didn't ask," she said, picking up the spoon and trying to feed him herself.

Damien sighed, took the spoon from her, and forced a bite into his mouth. "Happy now?"

"Very. You're my only brother, Damien. I'm not going to sit back and watch you waste away like this."

He stayed silent.

Vivian pulled up a chair. "I just don't get why you keep locking yourself away. We're your family."

Damien stared blankly at the floor. "You think I don't see it? The way the family looks at me? Like I brought a thief into our lives. Like I destroyed the family's future, how y'all thinks I am the reason Dad's gone. I can feel the judgment in every glance. I know I messed up. And I'll try to fix it, but things will never be the same again."

"Maybe some of them feel that way, Aunt, the cousins, but not me. Not Mom. We're worried about you. We saw how much you cared about her. You didn't deserve what she did."

"I don't Vivian, and right now I am just confused," he scratches his head as he exhaled sharply. "And the worse part is I am having a hard time moving on, how I wish I could"

"You really have to big bro," she said gently. "You have to understand that the deeds has been done,so just try. Try to heal. Try to find your footing again. We still need you."

Damien's jaw tightened. "I'll find her first."

Vivian sighed. "Even Eric is having a hard time tracking her down. Maybe, maybe it's time to let go."

He didn't respond.

"And don't be so harsh to Seraphina. We used to be close, remember? You, me, Seraphina, and the clerk's daughter. We were inseparable back then before we moved away from Chicago. Seraphina always liked you, it was so obvious. She even saved your life once."

Damien looked up, confused. "Wait, was she the one Dad mentioned? A girl saving my life? I don't know why I can't seem to remember any of that."

"Really, actually there was a car accident when you were younger. The doctor said you had partial amnesia. You've remembered so much since then, so I just assumed you've recovered"

"I remember Seraphina, but not the clerk's daughter. Should I?"

Vivian blinked in surprise. "No... It's in the past now. Just thought you used to like her a lot. I guess I must have misunderstood, anyways , it doesn't matter anymore."

She stood, brushing invisible dust off her dress. "Finish your food. I'll be back to collect the empty tray. And it better be empty, or I'm bringing more. You've gotten too skinny."

She gave him a small smile, and walked out.

Ana POV

Later that night, Ana lay curled in her bed, knees to her chest, as the world outside remained quiet. But inside her, the noise wouldn't stop. Memories screamed behind her eyelids. Faces, voices, the sound of betrayal.

She tried to silence them, tried to block them out, but one image kept returning,

Damien.

His face. The way he had looked at her that last time with love, with pain, with questions she never answered.

His eyes. His voice. His worry looks.

She turned over, then again, tossing and twisting as guilt wrapped itself tighter around her heart. Her fingers dug into her pillow as hot tears leaked from her tightly shut eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly, barely audible even to herself. "Forgive me, Damien..."

Tears streaked down her tightly shut eyes, while she laid tucked into herself like a child lost in a world too cruel for innocence.