I looked nothing like her, it was the first thought that filled my mind when my eyes fell on my mother.

Draven stopped yelling when he spotted us, so it was clear that they were arguing. My grip on the bags tightened when she turned. A small part of me hoped that she'd welcome me with open arms—the way a mother would a daughter she hadn't seen in years.

"You're back," Draven said.

He gripped her arm and tugged her behind him as he approached. It took her all but five seconds to plaster a fake smile on her face.

"Honey, wow! Look how much you've grown. The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. It's so good to see you!" Lies were easy to mutter but eyes never lie.

I stumbled backwards into Tyrone when she moved forward with her arms open wide. My back slammed into his chest. His breath fanned my neck when he blew it out. I kept my eyes focused on her. Draven grabbed her arm to stop her movements.

"Sydney doesn't like it when people touch her," he told her. "She also doesn't talk much."

I swallowed. She was staring at me with dark brown eyes. Something flashed in them, but it was quickly replaced by fake sympathy. She was a good actress.

I felt Tyrone tense behind me. His was staring down at me with a raised eyebrow. I glanced back at my mother.

Her eyes were slowly trailing over me. The disgust was clear. She hated my dress. Her lips parted and then her eyes dropped to the bags.

"So you've already gone shopping," she muttered. "I was hoping we could go together, you know to catch up." She turned her fake smile to Tyrone. "Well, thank you for taking her."

"It was no trouble." His hand brushed my lower back. "Sydney's tired. It's been a long day. We'll just take the bags upstairs."

"Right." She nodded. "Of course."

I glanced at Draven and then her again. The moment our eyes locked she turned away. I didn't know why it hurt so much. A part of me was expecting it, after all she left me and ran away. She got remarried and had her own kids. She had built a whole new life for herself and forgot completely about me.

Tyrone led the way up the stairs and to my bedroom. He placed the bags on the bed before turning to me.

"You start unpacking and I'll go get the bag."

Without waiting for a reply, he walked out.

I stared at the door for a few seconds and then turned. Dropping the bags on the bed, I started pulling out the folded clothes. Bella chose most of them for me. I liked the dresses she chose, especially the pink one with thin straps.

Glancing at the door, I pulled the dress I was wearing over my head and dropped it onto the floor. I had just reached for the new dress when someone entered the room. I gasped, quickly pressing the dress to my chest.

Tyrone froze in the doorway. His eyes were focused on my chest. I glanced down and realized that one of my breasts were exposed. He cleared his throat and stepped further into the room. My heartbeat increased when he kicked the door closed.

"You should close your door when you plan on changing, sweetheart," he said softly. "You live in a house with men now."

"I didn't think."

He hummed in agreement. I watched as he placed the paint and brushes on the floor next to the desk. Tyrone placed two bags on the desk and the rest on the bed. Without glancing at me, he walked out again and softly closed the door.

I allowed the air I've been holding to escape. My hands shook as I pulled the dress over my head. I glanced down at myself as I soothed my hands down the material. It was a little shorter than I would've like, but it was a lot better than the other dress I wore. I swirled around and giggled.

I love it.

The rest of the clothes consisted out of shorts, t-shirts, crop-tops, jeans and a hoodie. Bella had managed to drag me into a shop that sold only underwear when Tyrone went to the bathroom. The bag was buried in one of the others that contained clothes. I fished it out. However, before I could pack it away, there was a knock on my door.

It opened a second later to reveal Damian. His eyes darted around before landing on me. I shifted from foot to foot when he just stared. The action seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"Uuu. . .dinner's ready. Dad asked me to come get you," he said.

I nodded, but still, he didn't move. My mouth opened. I was ready to ask him if he needed anything else, but thankfully Tyrone came to my rescue.

"What are you doing?"

Damian gasped and span around. He cleared his throat a few times before he managed to speak. I walked closer to the door so I could see them. Tyrone was staring down at him with narrowed eyes. His lips were pursed and his fists clenched at his sides.

"We already had dinner," he told Damian. "I'm sure she's not hungry." He glanced at me in question. I shook my head. "Tell your father we already ate."

"Right." With one last glance in my direction, he walked away.

I watched until he had disappeared from sight before turning my attention back to Tyrone. He was staring at me, more like staring at the dress I was wearing.

"You don't like it?" I asked softly.

He gave me a small smile. "You look very beautiful."

Heat flooded my cheeks. I glanced down at me feet. Shyness filled me. Nobody had ever told me I looked beautiful. I gripped the hem of the dress tightly when he stepped closer. His lips brushed my cheek making me suck in a surprised breath.

"Goodnight, Sin," he said softly. "Bella gave you all our numbers. Call if you need anything."

"Thank you," I called after him.

He winked at me over his shoulder and then walked down the stairs. My shoulders sagged. Loneliness instantly filled me. I enjoyed today a whole lot more than I expect. It was fun shopping with them, especially talking to Bella.

My eyes darted over to the desk. I was looking for the unfinished sketch, but it was under the bags he had placed there. I glanced down the hall again and then stepped into the room. The door clicked close softly.

The things that spilled onto the desk after I tipped over the bags made me gasp. There were two sketchbooks, one was a A3 size and the other a A4. Along with the book was a small box of different pencils. There was even a packet of different brushes and different coloured paint.

Tears filled my eyes.

This was even better than the phone Draven had gotten me after he picked me up from the hospital. It was way better than the clothes and other stuff.

On impulse, I grabbed my phone from the bedside drawer and turned it on. I quickly typed a message to Tyrone and pressed send. A few minutes later my phone pinged.

TYRONE: You're welcome, Sin. Can't wait to see what you can do with it. I want to see Bella's picture when you're done.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I typed and deleted then retyped a reply five times before finally pressing send.

I placed my phone on the bedside table and then continued to pack away my clothes. By the time I was done the whole closet had been filled. My eyes darted over to the paint can and then the walls. There were only three walls to paint. I knew how to paint. It would be easy.

My room. My home. My family. It all seemed too perfect.

***

It took me a whole day to paint the walls of my room. I had to sleep elsewhere until the paint dried. Draven said I could sleep in Ellie's room, but I quickly declined. Ellie looked exactly like my mother. If it wasn't for the different hairstyles, it would've been hard to tell them apart. Ellie wasn't very happy about the fact that I was staying with them. She didn't voice her thoughts, but it was clear in the way she acted towards me.

Mother also made it clear that I wasn't staying. She was planning on sending me straight back to the hospital. In front of her family, she acted like a loving mother, but whenever we were alone, she made sure I understood how she felt about me in her house.

Her nasty words only made the void in my heart bigger. She took every possible moment to make me feel like a scum.

Draven and Lucy were the only ones in the house that went out of their way to include me in family activities.

Then there's Damian.

I caught him staring at me a few times. He went out of his way to talk to me, but his attention was unwanted. I didn't like the way he watched me or tried to touch me. Was it normal for your stepbrother to look at you the way he did?

Bella and I talked every night. Sometimes we would text each other and other times she would call me. I liked talking to her. Despite knowing where I came from and why I was there, she treated me like a normal human being.

As for Tyrone, I haven't really seen him around. Sometimes I'd catch a glimpse of him from my bedroom window. I missed being around him even though I barely knew him.

Michel was a whole different story. I only met him once, but I'd find myself daydreaming about him. Not just about him but all of them.

The sketch of Bella was coming along nicely. I only had a few more details to add. Once that picture was done, I was going to draw Michel and then Tyrone.