"It should be somewhere here, Nicole. Give me one second," Elena says, as she looks through the boxes to see what she can. I'm crossing my arms, while tapping my foot repeatedly just to relieve my nerves a little bit more.

I can smell Persian food coming from the kitchen, with the sizzling of spices and meat perfuming the house. I try to focus on that and not the stress of trying to find my mom's diaries. "Ah, got it!" Elena squeals, as she brings out three dusty, leathery books from the box.

She blows off the dust, fans it out, and then stands up. "Here they are. Nicole, are you sure you want to do this?" she asks, as I take the diaries.

"I have to. I can't stay in the dark forever, you know. It's time to find out why she hated me so much."

Elena sighed, and then said, "Okay. Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be helping Roy cook," she says.

I walk to my room, and say, "Don't burn the house down! We all know your world famous cooking skills!" I can practically feel Elena's eyes roll, and then I set the books down on the bedroom. I take one, and flip through the pages. I look at the dates to see if there's anything that peaks my interest, and there's one that's dated around 7 months before I was born.

Something about that intrigues me. I'm curious as to what she would write so soon before I was born. I start to read, and immediately, I feel like I'm in her shoes. Just not in a good way.

(Start of Entry)

I came back home, feeling sweaty and hot from everything that Ken had done. He knew how to make me feel loved and worshiped. He knew how to satisfy every one of my fantasies, in the best ways possible. I came back home, to find the lights still on even after dark. I knew something wasn't right at all. I knew something hadn't been right for the longest time, but this was the kickstarter to my suspicions.

Anyways, I walked in, being as quiet as I could. I set my keys down, and went up to the kitchen to get myself some water to cool myself off. As I was sipping it, I heard someone come up behind me. Thinking it was Dominic or Elena, I spun around, only to see Robert standing right behind me.

I could tell that he was slightly annoyed with me, but I knew how to make it so that he couldn't ever get mad at me. "Where were you?" he asked, in a very angry tone.

I set my glass down, and said, "Out."

He crossed his arms. "Cut the crap, Tanya. I knew you were doing something else that's way more important than your husband and kids."

"Why are you so concerned about my personal life, Robert?"

"Are you kidding? I know you're cheating on me, Tanya! Dominic and Elena are wanting their mom, and what are you doing? You're out screwing every guy that you lay your eyes on! How can you betray them like this?"

I knew how to shut him up at this point. I had been planning this for a while, so that nothing falls apart. I knew this was the correct way to have a decent marriage so that I knew to have him wrapped around my finger. "I'm not betraying them with the fact that they're going to have another sibling to hang out with."

Robert's eyes widened, and he said, "Holy hell, you're pregnant?"

I nodded a little bit, and said, "Yep. And what would everyone think if you left your pregnant wife out to dry, huh? Nobody wants that."

Robert scoffed. "How do I even know if it's mine? I don't even know how long you've been cheating on me."

I smirked, and said, "I'm 9 weeks along. I only started cheating on you a month ago. It's yours, Robert. I went to the doctor's last week and they confirmed. It's yours." The look of defeat on his face was priceless. I knew that I had got him. I knew that this was the way to keep him and my kids in my clutches.

And I knew that this was my key to getting a life cushion for the rest of my life. "Fine. I'll stay. But only for my child. Don't think that I'm going to look at you the same ever again." Anger started to boil up inside of me. I looked at my belly, and I knew that I had also dug myself into a little bit of a hole.

So, because of this child, Robert will never love me again, but he'll give me a nice cushion for the next few years. But, this baby may only give me trouble for the next few years.

When the time comes, I'll probably just get rid of her. Not killing her of course. But just doing what I can to get her out of my life. I'm thinking either marriage or just kicking her out. But  we'll see. So, anyways, everything is going to plan.

(end of entry)

I stop reading after that entry. That entry is more than enough to see what kind of person my mom was, and why my dad decided to stay with that witch. At the same time, it's all so overwhelming. I can't believe I was a pawn in her complicated chess game.

I can't believe I was used solely to cause my dad suffering. I can't believe how she thought I was worthless enough that she planned to dump me like trash from the very beginning. When I finish that entry, I throw the book to the ground and start to sob. The hurt, the pain, the anxiety that I've suffered because of her is just marvelous.

I sit back onto my bed, and just let the tears flow out. I hear footsteps leading from the kitchen, down the hall, and into my room. I look up a little bit to see Roy standing right there, with a concerned look on his face. I flop back and continue to cry, as he comes over to the side of my bed.

"Nicole, what's wrong? What happened?" he asks, as he places a hand on my shoulder. I roll over a little bit to the side to hide my tear stained face.

Both his hands go onto my shoulders to help me get up. "Look at me, Nicole. Please. Tell me, what's going on? I'm only here to help you," he tells me. His thumb wipes some of my tears away, to which I sniffle and look at Roy. "Tell me. Please," he pleads, to which Elena comes running in as well.

"Nicole? What's going on? What happened?" she asks. She takes a look at the diary on the ground, and my tear streaked face, and manages to connect the dots. "Oh no. I should've guessed. What did that witch write?" she asks, as she sits down on the bed.

I look at both of them, with a heartbroken look on my face, and tell them everything. The cheating, the pregnancy, the elaborate scheme to have all of us suffer. They all sit and listen, with nothing but patience written on their faces.

After all of that, I just sit back, while I let their shocked faces bleed into the reality of the situation. Elena says nothing, and she just engulfs me into a large hug. I hug her back, and let myself melt into her embrace. I know that she's there for me, always. I don't need anything else but my family and friends to comfort me in this moment.

Roy eventually joins into the hug, and I just sob into their arms. I hear my dad come down through the halls, and eventually, he wheels his way into the room. He sees us all solemn, and he joins in on the hug as well. We're all embracing each other, while I'm a sobbing mess.

Eventually, the hug dissolves, and then I look at Elena. "Phoenix, I'm so sorry. I didn't know how awful she was. But, despite that, keep this in mind. Just because she didn't love you doesn't mean that we don't as well. We love you to pieces. You're what keeps us going. I promise. You're the best family that we could've asked for. She can go rot in hell, for all that I care. You're still our phoenix. no matter what. Keep that in mind," Elena assures me.

Roy looks at me, with a heartbroken face as well, and says," Don't worry. Nicole, you're the sister that I've always wanted in life. Hell, you're so much like my actual sister, and she's so awesome I'd consider you my sister more than anything. I promise. You're the best sister that I could've asked for. So don't you dare think that I don't love you like that."

I hear my dad wheel into the room, probably because he heard me sobbing and telling them the story. Dad puts his hand on my knee, and says, "Nicole, if I had the choice, I'd do it all over again. You're my baby, and I wouldn't trade you for for anything. Keep that in mind. You're my schatzi, (treasure) and you're priceless. You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I promise."

I wipe my tears. I definitely feel a lot better after being consoled by my family, and it reminds me that I shouldn't pay attention to that witch. Her mindset was more corrupted than anything that I've ever personally seen, and I shouldn't focus on that She's out of our lives.

She's hopefully rotting somewhere, far away, with nobody to help her. And the fact that she isn't killing us slowly everyday anymore makes me feel content. I let out a deep breath, and say, "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it."

Roy smiles, and then his eyes widen. "Elena, did you turn off the meat?"

Elena nods, and says, "Yes, of course! Don't you trust me, Roy?"

Roy scoffs, and says, "You want the honest answer?"

Elena  rolls her eyes, and says, "Fine, I'm a hot mess."

"And yet I'm still marrying you."

I snicker, and my dad just rolls his eyes. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand and Roy scurries out of the room to make sure that the meat hasn't burnt, the kitchen isn't on fire, or both of the given options. "Already arguing like a married couple, and they're only engaged."

I snicker, and say, "Classic."

I walk over to the kitchen, because I really need some food right now. Elena is drying her hands on a dish towel, and Roy is stirring the delicious Persian food inside. I breathe a small sigh of relief because I don't walk into a kitchen that has been burned to the ground. Nobody here wants to call the fire department again.

"Thankfully, it's not burnt. At all. Elena actually turned off the flame." Roy gives it a stir, while taking some more spices and adding it to the concoction. Another tasty scent hits our noses, which makes my mouth water.

I cross my arms, and say, "That's a first. Elena not burning anything is worth throwing a party for." One day, I'll probably do that. I start to wonder what will be the baker's reaction when I tell him to put, "Congratulations for not burning down the house!"

Elena rolls her eyes, and says, "See, this is why I never cook. Roy makes all the good food."

Roy smiles, and says, "Hey, I come from two countries where the food is absolutely delicious. Elena, admit it. My mom's Persian cooking is to die for. My dad's Kashmiri food is also incredibly tasty. Your spice tolerance has been increased because of Indian food."

"That I can't deny. And Indian food is delicious, so it's a win win situation." I snicker a little bit, and I continue to chat with Elena and Roy.

Honestly, family is the best thing to distract me from the situation I just went through. And I'm grateful for that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think a lot of us were waiting to see what was Tanya's motivation for being so cruel to Nicole. Now we know. Does this make you hate Tanya a little bit more? Let me know.

Hey everyone! How's it going? How's life? Also, random question of the week. How do you guys step out of your comfort zone? And in what ways?

Also, I think you guys will like the next chapter. It's a little bit longer, but towards the end, there's something that may make you smile.

Also, I've got an announcement! On February 25th, I will be posting the cast and author's note to my new mystery novel, The Secrets of Confessions! Keep your eyes peeled for that! It's gonna be a hell of a ride, aha.

Okay, I'll stop. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Saturday with a new chapter of Phoenix! Have a great week!

Love you guys,

Shree