3: seeing him

PURITY.

The camera seemed to appreciate him until they observed me hanging on his arm looking smaller than typical because he was always taller than my 5'5 height at 5'11.

[Does she happen to be your girlfriend?]

[She is stunning]

[Do you think she's the one?]

All of the queries made me flush; good boost to my brother's ego, but couldn't they see our likeness or was it the thick coating of makeup that obscured my true appearance? Regardless, we entered the hall soon enough.

Being wealthy makes you famous, but being a second-generation kid gets you the cover of many gossip magazines. Paul was regarded as one of the top five most attractive men in the capital.

He'd done some modeling for publications and endorsement deals, which is where he earned the money he'd been spending. He always had a period when he went on his regular disappearing act, cutting himself off from the rest of the world.

People were dressed well, and I've missed Jude, who shuns anyone who says anything negative about marrying me. I miss those days, and I despise the fact that I still think of him as if I would die if I don't.

Paul drew me to a corner where he knew we'd be comfortable and where we'd be able to see who had arrived and who was overdressed. I gazed around as Paul pointed out people he recognized and those he thought were trying too hard for attention. Thank goodness my parents aren't here yet. They appeared a few minutes later, I thought. What a convenient way to jinx it.

Oh, no!

Don't pay attention to me!

"Paul, Paul, Paul!" Paul groaned as he fixed his fake smile while hugging my mother and my father, who delighted in caressing his head.

"Are you serious, dad?" My father chuckled as he smoothed his hair back to its original position.

"Well, see who we have here, if it isn't the second confused child," my eldest sister exclaimed as Paul pretended not to hear her. I looked at her, who was still unmarried, and she looked as lavish as ever.

I gazed at them with despair since they seemed happier without me, with the exception of Paul, who seemed terrible and ultimately rushed to my side, leading everyone to notice me.

You jerk. Why did you have to ruin me when I was perfectly good as a light bulb? I was ranting in my head but maintaining a cool demeanor.

"Everyone meet my girlfriend Ellie," I waved shyly as I observed their look as if they were inspecting me from head to toe, and my father stared at me with a delighted expression.

"Well, one of my kids chose a beauty," he said triumphantly to my brother, "and I wish you knew it was your other daughter dressed as her brother's girlfriend." My father was the most accepting father I'd ever known; he recognized Paul and me as bi before we did.

When I came out to Dad at my eighteenth birthday dinner, he was like, "Tell me something I don't know because this I know, and next time store your diary somewhere secure."

I just flushed until my mother and two elder siblings began cursing me angrily, calling me an abomination. Paul urged them to shut up and stated he, too, was bi. The truth about Paul and myself is that we are fraternal twins separated by five minutes.

"How are you, Ellie?" Becky, my eldest sister, looked at me like the filth of the earth, yeah, the caustic Becky, with a query rather than a greeting. She dropped out of college in her first year after deciding to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, and she was known for her white lotus act, which she used to win the hearts of her followers.

What her fans didn't know won't kill them, so they're lucky to be her devoted followers.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Knowing she despised sign language, as did my mother, they never bothered to learn it, so I signed.

'Yes, what do you want, bitch?' I agreed to sign.

Paul chuckled as my father burst out laughing; yes, I forgot my father learned various languages for business purposes, including sign language.

"You! What did you just sign, brat? "My mother yelled, a scowl on her heavily powdered face. Instead of Paul's smirking, my father rolled his eyes and answered for me.

"She replied yes, miss, so what do you require?" Dad stated. As mum justified her behavior, Paul nodded in agreement. They're both the same, as you can see.

Gullible.

"I like you, Ellie," my father responded with a broad smile. We appeared to be connecting over my muteness, but it was cut short when my immediate elder brother Philip walked toward us with a very gorgeous man who was taller than him.

"Hey mom, dad, Becky, and I see you Paul," he said, not like the douche bag I used to know who delighted in reminding me how I was an abomination to the world.

"Hey boys, you came, I thought you guys wouldn't leave the bed room," dad said as Phil blushed and the taller man smirked, and I was here gasping for air as Paul patted my back with an apologetic smile.

Please don't tell me that my bastard brother was homosexual all along and is now married to a guy, but he made me doubt myself all along before I married my ex-husband.

This cretin.

"Oh, hello, lovely," Phil remarked, his husband rolling his eyes.

"Ignore him, sweetie; my name is Cusano D'Ante, this is my husband Phil D'Ante, and you are?" Cusano introduced himself as he took my hand in his and kissed the back of my palm.

"This is my girlfriend Ellie, could you please let her go now?" Paul asked, glaring at Phil as his father laughed. Paul told me with his eyes that she will explain later.

"Oh, please don't kidnap her; she's lovely, but we're gay." Phil stated it jokingly, but with pride in his eyes, which enraged Paul.

"Yeah, tell Purity when you see him," Paul grumbled. Mom exclaimed as everyone appeared to be guilty.

"I wish I could Paul, I did all that because I was furious with myself since mum had affected my beliefs on being a part of the LGBTQ circle," he said, his eyes welling up with tears, "but I'm sorry." Mom and Cusano both gazed at Paul, accusingly.

"Don't bring her name up here, she's a criminal, a callous person who murdered my grandkids," her words wounded me, but I remained indifferent.

I would have died at birth if your opinion had mattered.

"Stop talking nonsense mother, those kids were her world, she didn't kill them, did you ever ask her how it occurred, did you ever support her or protect her from what she would go through," Paul replied, which silenced them.

They couldn't say anything, which made my heart hurt even more as I excused myself, but as usual, none of them noticed my absence.

The master of light bulbs.

I was about to enter the male restroom when I was met with a wall, forcing me to almost fall, but strong hands grabbed me and held me stable as I looked up at the person who owned the body and hand only to find.