Orla's heartbeat intensified. She wished she knew what Sophia wanted to talk about beforehand.
Arnold shifted in his chair, his full attention on Sophia. The other sisters looked at Sophia with disdain, like she didn't know what she was talking about.
"We all know what happened. Orla pushed her twin into the pool, she killed the poor girl!" Amelia attacked Sophia before she continued. "What's new about that, why are you bringing back those painful memories on my birthday?"
Orla loathed it whenever she was termed a murderer, but she couldn't even justify herself.
She had little knowledge of everything that happened that day. They had accused her of killing her sister, and she had let it remain that way.
"I am sorry I chose to do this today but this is the only way to bring us together as I make this confession."
Sophia stared apologetically at her favourite sister.
Orla's heart Palpitated. She didn't know what Sophia wanted to say, but what if she had tricked her all the way here just to further broaden her wound? What if Sophia was pretending all along, and was against her?
"Isla died, she drowned. Those are the truth, but Orla didn't kill her…"
Sophia caught the surprised stares they gave her and she nodded back.
"Orla didn't push Isla." She continued.
"Then who did?" Mila asked, impatience laced in her tone.
"No one pushed Isla. She Isla jumped into the pool on her own, she was too young to understand that she would die if she went deeper." Sophia answered, her eyes watering up.
"Crap! Bullshit!" Amelia yelled from where she was seated beside her father.
Callan and Orla exchange a knowing look, her heart returning to its normal beating rate.
She was pleased to know that she didn't push her sister. She had been made to believe that she did, all her life.
"How do you know this?" Arnold seemed interested in the story his daughter was starting. "Were you there with her? If you were, why didn't you save her?"
"I wasn't there when she jumped into the pool. I only came back minutes after her body was floating on the water, and…" Sophia paused, letting the tears helplessly drop.
"What happened?" Arnold yelled, still not sure he believed Sophia's confession.
"I joined them late, Isla's body was already floating on the water when I saw her. I didn't know what it was until several minutes later. I called on her to come out, but she wasn't yielding. I tried to step closer, but my sister warned me against it. She told me that Isla had drowned and there was nothing we could do about it."
Arnold laughed hysterically. "How much did Orla pay you for this stunt you're pulling? I hope she paid you well?"
"Daddy, I am not lying! Emma was with me the whole time this happened. She can only deny that she wasn't there."
Arnold peered over his shoulder to look at Emma. Her eyes were twinkling in confusion. Her makeup was almost smudging with sweat that gathered around her forehead in beads.
"Emma?" Arnold called, hoping that she would deny it.
Orla and her other sisters watched her, waiting for a response.
Emma looked between her sisters and her father. Everyone in the room shared the tension that crammed the atmosphere.
She truly was with Sophia that day. What was there to keep lying about? Orla had suffered enough, she should be set free now.
"I am sorry it took so long to say this, but Orla never really pushed her sister into the pool. They were playing together before Orla went back inside to have a nap, and Isla stayed back with one of her sisters. We thought she was safe with her, we never knew she wasn't."
Emma shook her head, her eyes on everyone in the room, but Orla.
"The whole narration and accusation centred around Orla. We all know she did it. What are you two talking about?" Arnold asked again.
"Orla was just a victim. Maybe we were all victims because we were too young to comprehend all that happened and we were coerced into spreading the lies that Orla killed her sister."
Sophia looked at Orla. Every time she watched her, guilt consumed her. She never bullied her but she did more than what her sisters had done to Orla, to her and that even made her more terrible than them.
"Emma and I got to the pool that afternoon and met Isla's body floating. After we processed that she had drowned and she was there, watching her, smiling like nothing had happened."
"She threatened to accuse us of pushing Isla if we didn't do what she asked of us," Emma added, regret in her eyes.
She made sure she made no contact with anyone and after this confession, everyone might hate her more than they hated Orla.
"She told us how Dad and Mom would hate us if they found out that we pushed Isla. They would never love us as their children. She gaslighted our little brains." Sophia chirped in again.
Every eyes were on her as she spoke. She knew this and she dared not raise her head to look at anyone.
"Orla was sleeping when she made us call her. With sleepy eyes, she followed us to the pool and met her sister in the water. She had no idea what had happened, but we pinned it on her that she pushed her sister. She was too young, she didn't deserve that, but she made us do it."
Orla trembled as she held Callan's hands. Her memories tried to flash through her mind, but it had been so long that she barely remembered what happened that day.
Then there was a memory of her playing with Isla that day, and she had told her that she wanted to play at the poolside, but Orla warned her sister against it.
She went back into the room they shared to take a nap, but her sister stayed back to play with one of their elder sisters. That was all she could remember.
"Orla never pushed her sister, Dad. It was all a lie that we were forced to tell."
A wave of relief washed through Orla as Sophia vindicated her. Her nightmares were all lies, they were based on what she was meant to believe. It was a relief to know that she didn't push her sister into the pool.
"We were asked to frame the little girl," Emma said.
"Who asked you to do that?" Arnold asked, still finding it very difficult to believe his daughters' confession.
But no matter how much he tried to twist it, there seemed to be an iota of truth in it all.
"Dad,"
"Who asked you to do it?" Arnold yelled, his eyes gleaming with anger.
Sophia looked around the room, her eyes settling on her biggest enemy in the world. The lady who had destroyed all that had to do with her.
It was enough. She didn't want to be her puppet anymore. It was time to let go of her worries and move on with her life after all these years. It was time to expose who the real culprit was.
Then it dawned on Sophia—something she had never thought of, all these years.
What if she told a lie? What if Isla didn't jump into the pool? What if she was actually pushed? She was not there that day, she was only told that Isla jumped in and she foolishly believed her sister.
"Who?" Arnold asked for the third time, his fists curling into a ball. "Who? Who told you that Isla jumped in? Who was there? Who watched her as she drowned and couldn't save her? Who was there, Sophia?"
Sophia shook her head, heavy tears cascading down her face.
Everyone will surely be surprised by what was coming next. But in all, she hoped they would really believe their confessions.
They could talk, but they had no proof.
Hello, Everyone.
How're you all doing?
The Sullivan sisters are actually very wicked, and who do you think the real culprit is? Can anyone guess?
The person you all think, might not be the one though.
Next chapter drops soon
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I love you all, thank you so much.