The List

Today was the day, Claire thought to herself. She stretched her hands over her head and smiled. This time tomorrow she'd be a married woman. After six years Jamie had popped the question, and they had rushed the wedding. After so long Claire didn't feel like waiting anymore. She sprung out of bed. She had always an early riser, but today she was up even before the sun. She wanted to surprise Jamie with a morning breakfast. She knew it was supposedly bad luck to see him on their wedding day but she didn't really believe in bad luck. She hummed as she whipped up a simple but delicious smelling breakfast. Sneaking quietly down the hallway of her family home, so no one would catch her breaking this one little rule. As she got closer to the guest room and heard murmuring, and the the springs on the mattress move loudly. "Good he is awake" Clair thought to herself as she walked into the room without knocking.

"Good morning sun-" the tray of food dropped from her hands as she took in the sight. Her stepmother was looking at Clair, in shock as well as jamie... who had his dick shoved up her ass.

"Don't tell your father..." the bitch pleaded.

"Claire I can explain!" Jamie started as the same time as her stepmother.

"Susanne, I will definitely be telling dad. And Jamie, get the fuck out of my home. " Claire said before she slammed the door and dashed blindly toward the kitchen. Big strong arms grabbed her, before she could crash into something.

"Whoa there princess, what's going on?" Oliver asked. He was a big man sitting at 6'5 and covered in tattoos. He was also Claire's father, and she loved him more then anything. She knew if she told him what she'd just seen, he'd be heartbroken and probably kill Jamie. But she had to tell him, she never lied to her dad, never kept things from him. She looked up into his warm green eyes and struggled to find the words.

"Dad..." was as far as she got before she broke down sobbing. Jamie had been a high-school sweetheart, and she genuinely loved him. But now she saw what loving someone does, what it opens you up for. She swore on the empty hole in her chest that she was done with that bullshit. Then she tried again. This time not looking her dad in the eye. "Dad I-"

Susanne stormed in and cut her off. "Whatever that bitch has said to you she's lying." Susanne was red in the face and looked at Claire with pure hatred. As if Claire had been in the wrong. Jamie was nowhere in site and Claire hoped he had listened and fucked off.

Oliver fixed Susanne with a cold stare. "My daughter isn't a bitch. Get out of my house." His tone was icy, there was no room for argument.

"Darling please, you can't just kick me out over something like this. She's lying. I would never sleep around on you! Your the love of my life! " Susanne all but shrieked as she latched onto his arm, and dug her nails in.

"Well so far all that Claire has done is cry. So your statement is very....telling" the icy disdain in his voice would make anyone else falter. Not Susanne tho, she was to stupid to get the message.

"Honey please, listen to me. I'm your wife, you shouldn't take her side over mine. She isn't even yours." At that statement the temp in the entire room seemed to drop. Oliver shook off Susanne while pulling Claire more securely to him.

"Get the fuck out. NOW!" Oliver's vice was calm and deadly. He didn't take shit like that lightly, Claire, her twin, and their twin brothers where his children in every way that mattered. And no one talked about or too his kids like Susanne suddenly had the balls to do. He didn't hit women but he was starting to see red. Claire's sobbing was not helping.

"What's all this?" Alison asked obviously just getting back from her morning work out. She took in the secne, her sister sobbing, the cold glare her father was giving that cunt he called a wife. That was all she needed to launch herself at Susanne in a furry of blows. Susanne's screaming brought Alistair and Nathaniel running from their childhood rooms.

"What the actual fuck." They said in union before springing into action. Alistair gently pulled Claire out of Oliver's arms and walked her into the kitchen. While Oliver and Nathaniel tried to pry Alison off of Susanne. As soon as she was free Susanne dashed for the door. They let her leave, she knew better then to call the cops. Everyone congregated in the kitchen. Where Alistair was calming Claire as much as he could. Everyone looked murderous, Claire was the sweet sensitive one. The one they all swore to protect from the harshness of the world. But they couldn't protect her from something like this. She hadn't said it but oliver knew that Jamie was the one Susanne had been sleeping with.

"I don't see what you ever saw in that bitch." Alison said while putting an ice pack on her knuckles. "We all told you not to go through with marrying her."

"You four needed a mother figure. At the time she seemed like a good option. " Oliver's voice was still cold. He wouldn't hurt Susanne, he didn't hurt women, but he would be putting Jamie in a bodybag.

"She was sleeping with J-Jamie..."Claire said brokenly.

"Well at least she saved you the trouble of marrying that asshole." Nathaniel cut straight to the point. None of the siblings liked that little shit. But they weren't willing to encroach on Claire's seeming happiness. Now he was fair game.

"Why?" Was the only word Claire choked out. To no one in particular. She was still crying but was slowing calming down. Her family had that effect on her.

"Because he's an asshole that doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you." Alistair made the statement calmly.

"You don't think anyone is worthy of me or Alison. " Claire laughed shakily. Trying to pull herself together, she was twenty three not sixteen. She needed to get ahold of herself.

"Of course no one is worthy of my two little girls " Oliver spoke warmly, " if fact how about you both stop dating and move back in with your old dad."

"Ugh." Both girls complained in unison. "No thanks. "

"I'm gonna go back to my apartment. " Claire said suddenly standing up. She knew she needed to be alone for a bit. She needed to handle this herself like a big girl. Thankfully Jamie had never moved in with her. So he wouldn't have to worry about him being there.

"Are you sure you want to go? You've had a shit day and it's only six am." Nathaniel said looking at her in concern.

"Yes I'm sure. I need to call and cancel the catering. Sadly the decorations where set up yesterday. And I'll be returning my dress and wedding ring." Claire hoped they didn't notice the shake in her voice. But from the look in their eyes she knew that they had.

"Alright princess let me drive you at least." Alistair offered, "we can stop by your favorite Cafe for breakfasts on the way."

"I'm not in the mood for breakfast." Claire said thinking about the breakfast tray she had dropped in the guest bedroom. "But I'll accept the ride." She got up and hurriedly to go get dressed.

Once safely inside her apartment she slid down the door and had a good wrenching cry session. After the tears stopped falling she finally looked at her phone. He father had canceled all of the wedding plans for her. She had three missed calls and five new messages from Jamie. She deleted the messages without reading them and blocked his number. She wouldn't let him take up any more space in her mind, Or anymore of her time. Scrolling through her phone she called the only person who didn't treat her like she was made of glass. It picked up in the first ring.