Unreturned When the Fog Cleared Chapter 13

Unreturned When the Fog Cleared Chapter 13: The Fall

Early the next morning, Julian Rhodes grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door, his mind consumed with one thought: finding Thera Sutherland.

Sylvia Chevalier stood in the doorway watching him go, her nails digging deep into her palms. A wave of fury surged through her with nowhere to

go.
But then Yara Rhodes came downstairs, clinging to her like glue and pestering her to do one thing after another.

Sylvia, already on edge, began to let her irritation show.

Yara didn’t like the look on her face. “When Thera was here, she’d get me anything I wanted.”

Growing even more impatient, Sylvia took Yara to a bar.

Yara shrank behind her as Sylvia waved to a group of young men and

women.

They called out, “Little Yara is here!” Their eyes roamed over her, a blatant appraisal that made her skin crawl.

After less than ten minutes, Yara couldn’t take it anymore. “It’s too loud. Let’s go.”

Sylvia was in the middle of a lively conversation and her face fell the moment Yara interrupted. “Get lost! Don’t ruin the fun.”

Stunned by her yelling, Yara felt a sudden surge of indignation.

Back when Thera was here, no matter what she asked for, Thera would always respond with a gentle voice. She would never have treated her like this.

She didn’t argue. Instead, she turned and went to the restroom, hiding in the farthest stall, just wanting a moment of peace.

Suddenly, she heard the sharp click of footsteps outside, followed by the murmuring voices of two women.

The voices weren’t loud, but every word was crystal clear:

“That girl just now was Julian Rhodes’s sister, right? I heard she has some mental issues. Something about what happened with those guys…”

“For real? No wonder she looks so spaced out.”

Yara’s ears were ringing. She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood.

After they left, she took a deep breath and composed herself before pushing open the stall door and leaving the restroom.

As she reached the bend in the staircase, she heard a man’s mocking voice. “Yara is still as dumb as ever. You’ve got her completely wrapped around your finger and she has no idea.”

It was followed by Sylvia’s familiar voice, now laced with a derision Yara

had never heard before.

“It’s better that she’s stupid. Makes her easy to handle. And besides, she’s Julian Rhodes’s sister, isn’t she?”

“Don’t get too cocky. You’re the one who deliberately led Julian’s enemies to his sister two years ago. If he ever finds out, do you really think you’ll be able to stay by his side?”

“Back then, they said I was Julian’s childhood sweetheart. They were going to kidnap *me* to threaten him. Why should I have been the one to take that fall?”

“Besides, if Yara hadn’t been so traumatized by the kidnapping and turned into… this, how could I have used the opportunity to make Julian think I

was so thoughtful and understanding? And because of it, she and Thera were always at each other’s throats, which drove Julian crazy.”

Yara froze, the blood turning to ice in her veins.

Yara burst out from her hiding spot, pointing a finger in Sylvia’s face. “Sylvia Chevalier! You liar! You were behind the kidnapping two years ago! You’ve been using me this whole time!”

The mask on Sylvia’s face shattered, but she still tried to lie her way out. “Yara, you’ve misunderstood! How could I ever hurt you?”

“Misunderstood?” Yara pulled out her phone and started looking for Julian’s number. “I’m calling my brother right now to show him who you really are!”

Seeing Yara’s finger about to press the call button, Sylvia’s eyes turned vicious. She dropped the pretense.

She lunged forward and, before Yara could react, shoved her hard in the

back with both hands.

Yara tumbled down from the second–floor landing, the back of her head cracking hard against the steps.

In the last second before her consciousness faded, images flashed through her mind: scene after scene from the last two years of her tormenting Thera, of Thera silently enduring it all.

An overwhelming wave of guilt washed over her, and Yara’s eyes slowly closed.

Sylvia’s eyes were filled with malice. “Yara,” she whispered, “you brought this on yourself.”