"Vince!" I yelled for the third time, looking inside the bathroom. Where could he be hiding when I told him to get ready so we could go grab some food. "Mother, I think you wish to see this." Venice came into view, indicating inside the room he was staying in. I walked inside, where the laptop was now open. The search tab was still open. My eyes widened as I mouthed the words and felt a bitter taste in the back of my throat.

"Mom do you thin-" I walked out of the room and grabbed my purse and saw that a few dollars, of course, he would do it. "Venice grab your backpack were a leaving" I shouted grabbing my coat. Venice came out running with her backpack that had her medicine and spare clothes for her and Vince. He was in so much trouble.

Once I saw the first cab came into view, I stopped him and told him the address. While I sat in the taxi I was worried about biting my fingernails. They almost started bleeding, but Venice took my hand away and held it. So many thoughts were going through my head. What if he wasn't there? What if they kidnapped my son?

When the taxi came to an abrupt stop, I threw the money at the man and dashed out. Venice apologized for my behavior and followed behind. I quickly walked up to the gate and there he was clenching his hands while speaking to the guards. "Lorence!" he went discreetly silent, turning his head around his body completely frozen in place. When he saw my face, it faltered and fell. He was thinking of ways to get out of this point, but there wasn't anything left to do. And if he had thought of something, he ran behind the guard who was looking at me weirdly. "Sir, please help me" he blubbered, clutching on to the man's shirt for dear life, but that wouldn't stop me from scolding him. These guards were even more afraid of me than him.

"I need you right here this instance!" I pointed my hand on the ground right in front of me. My voice came out and I saw the shocked expression on the all men's face. I've used that tone with Vincent many times, but he seemed to not mind. Vince walked towards me slowly, and when he was in the spot where I wanted him, Venice hit him with the bag, causing him to groan in pain. I embraced him in a hug and looked for any bruises on him, but he was fine. "Mom, you are embarrassing me!" he whined, pulling away. I pinched his cheek when he looked down. He knew what he did was wrong for leaving the house alone in the damn city. This wasn't our little town where everyone knew us. News in that town spread like wildfire even when things weren't true.

"What if something did happen to you? Your arrogant father would have blamed me for your disappearance." I inquire the guards looked between each other then back at us. I sighed, brushing off my pants and walked up to the guards. "Open the gates"

"Mam we- thought you know" One of them squaled. He seemed to not want to mention that I died, but I nodded nothing less. "You look different, you changed your hair. He wouldn't approve, but I like it." I smiled at him when the gate clicked open. The walls of the gate were made of grey stones which stretched for miles. The yard was indeed big with a forest behind the house and I wondered how old these walls were. They did indeed look sturdy, too sturdy to knockdown.

We started walking up the long driveway when I sighed looking at Vince. He didn't know what was going to take place, but it was all on him. This was his punishment for doing things on his own.

"Mom, please, I can't take it any more. Let Venice walk for a minute. This is torture!" He whined, crawling up the driveway dramatically. "This is what you get for disobeying Mother" Venice inquired, sticking her tongue out, "We could've saved all this, but this is your punishment. Now get your butt up, we are almost there." He huffed out and got up, brushing his clothes off.

"Now this is what I'm talking about, a real mansion" I rolled my eyes at his words and looked at the place I used to call home. It looked more like a palace precisely to be labeled as a mansion, though it didn't look old.

It was high in height that had you looking up in awe. When I roamed the house, it was lonely. If a pin was silently dropped, it would echo throughout the whole house. Enormous trees surrounded the place. It was easy to get lost around the house. It sits on a hill where it overlooks the city and was hidden by attackers.

"My call for that room" Vince points at the window where the black curtains were keeping the room from light or such passing through. That's where Vincent's bedroom is as it has an amazing view and shows the most beautiful sunrise and sunset over the horizon. "That room is occupied idiot I bet that's where father's and mother's room are, right mother?" I nod my head in approval. That's where I'd slept for the last four months with Vincent and the first time four in my room.

"I had a different room" I pointed at the window that was on the second floor. The windows to the balcony were closed and the curtains were the same, creme white with gold roses. "I bet it has a huge swimming pool." Vince's eyes lit up at the thought and I smiled at him.

"It has actually three that I know of" I inquired, moving up to the door to ring the doorbell, but stopped when my name was being called by a too familiar one, "Laura, I mean mam, your alive." A mildly humorous surprise came on his face. I saw the tears in his eyes when he steadily walked towards me, engulfing me in a warm hug. Once he stood in front of me, I was caught by surprise. Luke had never been this close to me. A simple hand gesture or a quick bow was all I received from him.

He was soon pulled away from me and I had to roll my eyes watching Vince come to my side, "It was nice to meet you too, but she's married." Luke rubbed his throat hastily and frowned, fixing his posture. "Vince, if you utter that sentence again, I'll clamp it shut." He rolled his eyes and pounded on the door, allowing me and Luke to talk. Venice, on the other hand, was hiding behind me.

"Mam, I like your hair, but he wil-"

"Yeah, I know he will not approve, but I'm not here to-" I tried to find the right word to say as I saw Venice staring up at me, "Lay around, I came here to let him see his kids." His small crimson lips parted into an O. He uttered a goodbye and left when the door opened, revealing the maid I saw when I first had dinner. She looked at me utterly surprised. The emotion washed over her face like a tidal wave when she saw the twin. A faint, transient, wistful smile lightened her brooding smile.

"Please, please come in." She stepped aside and opened the door so we could step inside. Once we were settled in the living room, she stood and watched Venice and Vince as if they were her own. "He reminds me so much of Vincent when he was younger," she said, looking at Vince, who was looking at a vase. He took out his phone and started to type something.

"Mom, this is very antique and cost two hundred thousand pounds. Compared to my father, that seems to be his pocket money for the day." I sighed while he started to look around the room looking at all the pieces of furniture and talking about how much they cost. "Your father only carried fifty dollars." I rolled my eyes and started making small talk with the maid.

"Where's Vincent?" I eyed her from head to toe. She seemed distraught by the look she had on her face and wary. Vincent must have been giving everyone a hard time for the past few years. "He's in his room mam" with a quick nod and a look of sadness that crossed her features, she left. It's not my fault. I kept repeating it couldn't be.

Twisting the knob, I heard it open slowly. I pushed it forward to open. The heavenly scent of his cologne filled my nostrils as I took deep breaths. The room was dim, just how he liked it. His room didn't change one bit.

His body curled up and he hugged the pillow so closely. I stepped closer into the room when I felt a tugging on my shirt. I looked down to see that Venice was pointing at Vince, who was already slowly getting on the bed.

"Vince" My clenched teeth made him quickly get down and go back to my side. "What did I tell you before I came here?" I whispered yelled and he went behind Venice to shield himself from me.

"Vincent," I whispered. He rolled to the other side of the bed and started mumbling. "Dorthy, go away".

"Mom, does he normally talk in his sleep?" Venice stood from afar watching Vince, whom I pursued. He did not care if he was sleeping or not. He was saving himself trouble by not waking him.I know he blamed himself for my fake death, not knowing he had children that ever existed, and a lot more, but I gave him the warning. The problem I've found is that he doesn't do it at all. I looked at him as he rested. His hair fell over his face and I brushed it off to uncover his big, sharp, wonderful face. He looked kinder in his sleep, nearly like a child, and I had to know if he wasn't at all bad, if somewhere inside him there was a soft place he kept hidden away for me. But that isn't conceivable. He betrayed me. He gave up on the life we had. People don't change their ways, so suddenly do they?

Thoughts ran through me like a poignant picture. I pulled my hands away and got out of bed. I observed his sleeping figure as well as Venice. She reached out to touch him when he stirred mumbling. This time when she reached out to touch him, he didn't make any sort of movement. The frown on his face disappeared and his body seemed to relax more. "Laura" There was a thrill in the air. Vince and Venice's eyes met glancingly, then looked up at me.

My phone buzzed and I was more than grateful for that. I reached for the phone in my pocket. It was Tina who was asking if we could meet 'urgently', but how was I supposed to leave them here? "We have to go." I outstretched my arms for Venice to take, but she scurried far into Vincent's side.

"Mother, I'm sorry, but I want him to know today, not another time, but now," she held my eyes and declared. "I think we both have to realize that each of us has to make some concessions here." I folded my arms, stepping closer to the bed. Our voices were kept to a minimum so that we wouldn't wake him. I couldn't face him nor did I even want to.

"Mom please, dad didn't know you were alive. Just give him a chance." What chance? He deserves nothing. He basically used me. "Are you picking sides now, Lory, because whatever our father did was unforgivable. He played mom. Don't tell me that you didn't see her cry because of that man." Vince drew close. He held his ground and had his hand folded over his chest. She was defending him despite him telling me to, but she was right that he had all rights to know that he had children.

"Fine, but I won't be here. I'm heading out for some business and I'll be back before you know it." I stooped down to Vince and held his cheeks. "Whatever you do, don't let him know. Venice should let him see through it. She has more experience of letting people understand. I'll be very disappointed in you Lorence." After taking a step back, he walked towards the window looking out.

"He owes us an explanation." I stepped towards the door, heading out. The words that my son said replayed in my head. He does owe us an explanation, but I didn't want to hear it.