▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 ━︎━︎ 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 a lot cleaner than Ilaria had originally anticipated. She had been expecting broken floor boards, damaged furniture, just an overall mess, but that's not what she walked into. Instead, the home was very clean. It was nicely put together with a living area, a kitchen, and even stairs that lead to a second floor. The couch was a blood red with gold accents, the dated television that sat in front of it looked as if it hadn't been used, but despite that it was spotless. The open floor plan lead her into the kitchen where she spotted a bathroom jutting off to the side.

The kitchen walls were painted red, even the sink and counters had splatters of red covering it. Ilaria wasn't sure if that was paint or blood and quite frankly she didn't want to know the answer. There was a single plate in the sink along with a fork and glass, the remnants of food could be seen on the plate but it wasn't all that dirty. Ilaria couldn't help but wonder how her mother had managed to keep the place so nice, especially when it was never this nice when she was a child. To her, it felt like her presence here had been completely erased, as if she hadn't lived here for six years.

Her eyes went to the staircase and she went to approach, pausing when she heard movement somewhere upstairs. Her heart raced in her chest. She nervously swallowed before she began to climb the stairs. The second floor was nowhere near as nice as the first. The hallway was covered in red carpet that was ripped in some places, other places had been so worn down that the carpet had changed colors. There were two doors on the second floor. Two bedrooms. One of which should have been hers.

She crept forwards, approaching the first door. Her hand hovered over the knob before she paused, her eyes darting to the other door where she spotted a lock on the knob. A frown fell on her lips as she approached it. In red letters painted on the door were the words KEEP OUT.

"You have exactly two seconds to tell me what you're doing in my house before its off with your head."

Ilaria froze, her entire body tensing. Slowly, she turned. In front of her stood a woman that was slightly taller than her, long red hair and a cruel face. In her right hand she held a knife and suddenly the presence of Ilaria's own knife felt heavy in its hiding place. She cleared her throat. "Um, you-you're Iracebeth, right?"

Her face hardened, her eyes narrowing into a warning glare that screamed danger. "Who's asking." It wasn't a question, but a demand.

Ilaria took a deep breath. "I'm Ilaria." She paused, hoping the woman would recognize her, but when her demeanor didn't change she added, "Your daughter."

The Queen of Hearts straightened, her eyes glancing the teenager up and down. "So, you've finally come back." Ilaria didn't respond. "Why are you here?"

Sudden determination filled her veins. She held her chin up high, straightening her shoulders. "To find out the truth." Iracebeth only stared at her, unimpressed. She turned and began walking away, going down the steps. Ilaria was quick to rush after her. "Why did you let Aunt Mirana take me away?"

Iracebeth set the knife on the kitchen counter and began tending to the dishes. "Why would I try to stop her when you weren't wanted here in the first place?" Ilaria winced at the harsh words. "Honestly, my sister did me a favor." Not once did she look at her and a deep frown fell on Ilaria's face.

She felt tears fill her eyes but she pushed them back. "Why do you hate me so much?" For a split second, her mother paused. "What did I ever do to you to deserve this treatment?"

"You were born." Her blunt words were a punch to the gut. "I had no desire to have children. And then you came along and my life was ruined even more than it was before. You were obnoxious. You were always crying and screaming, in constant need of attention."

Her brows furrowed. "I was a child."

She slammed the dishes down, the sound of the plate shattering in the sink made Ilaria take an involuntary step backwards. Iracebeth spun around to face her. "You were a nuisance. An inconvenience. I didn't have the time to take care of you. And your father," a humorless laugh left her lips, "he left as soon as he found out I was having you. You single handedly ruined the life I had built on this retched Isle. People became less scared of me when they discovered I had become a mother, claiming I had suddenly grown a heart. Idiots."

"Yeah." Ilaria mumbled.

"When my sister had come to take you away, it was the best day of my life. Because that meant I didn't have to care for you anymore. I didn't have to feed you, or dress you, or pretend to love you. I hate my sister for taking my throne, but when she took you away I hated her slightly less."

A single tear ran down her cheek. "If you didn't want me, you should have never conceived me. For someone whose notoriously known as the Queen of Hearts, you sure are heartless." A scoff left her lips as another tear escaped. She quickly swiped it away. "And to think some part of me thought you would have actually wanted to see me." Her jaw clenched. "This was a mistake. I should have stayed curious."

"Well, curiosity killed the cat."

"And yet, the Cheshire Cat always came back." Ilaria bit. "I bet it kills you to know that one day it won't be your sister on your throne but it will be me."

The older woman paused. "She made you the heir?"

"Yeah. Because now you'll never have that power you so desperately crave. I will. Your own daughter. And if you ever break free from this place and try and take my kingdom, it will be off with your head." She watched as her mother glared angrily at her and Ilaria couldn't help but smile at her before she turned and left. As soon as she was out of the house, the tears came back. But she refused to cry, not while she was out in public like this.

She made it back to Mal's hideout, climbing up the stairs and entering the room only to stop when she saw Evie, Carlos, and Jay. Carlos and Jay were sitting on the couch while Evie was standing with a frown on her face and her arms crossed. The sound of footsteps alerted them. Evie spun around, spotting her. A breath of relief left her lips. "Ria." She approached her girlfriend, coming to a stop in front of her when she noticed the tears building behind her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ilaria didn't mean to breakdown, but suddenly the tears wouldn't stop. Evie immediately pulled her into a hug. "She didn't want me." Ilaria sobbed. "She never wanted me." When her sobbing had slowed, she pulled away from Evie and wiped at her eyes. "She hates me, Evie. She hates that I even exist."

Evie's heart broke. "I'm so sorry, Ria."

Ilaria shook her head. "It's fine. I know the truth now, that's what I came here for." Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "Wait. Why are you guys here? Where's Mal?" Evie, Jay, and Carlos all exchanged a look which didn't go unnoticed. "What?"

"I gave Ben the note." Evie admitted. "He wanted to come here to get her back. That's why we're here."

"You brought Ben here?" Ilaria asked, eyes widening in horror. She looked around. "If he's here, then where is he?" Evie grew silent. "Evie, where's Ben."

"Harry took him." Carlos piped up. "Mal left to talk to Uma to try and get him back."

"What?" Her voice was calm, too calm. "You brought him here and you let him get taken?" Rage began to boil in her veins. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Her voice raised as she yelled at them. "What even possessed you to think that that was a good idea?"

"Ria, I'm sorry."

Evie went to reach for her but Ilaria pulled away. "You're sorry?" She clenched her jaw. "My best friend is with Uma of all people. God, Evie!"

"Ria, we didn't mean for it to happen." Jay said. "It's not Evie's fault."

Ilaria nodded. "You're right, it's not. It all three of yours's fault. How could you let that happen?" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Ria―︎"

"No." Ilaria cut Evie off. "You don't understand. When I was here, when I was a kid, I ran with Uma. She was my best friend. And now, my current best friend is in her hands. I swear to God if Mal can't get him back, I'll storm in there myself and there will be hell to pay. Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"

"Ria, he was going to come with or without us!" Evie argued. "I thought you would've been thankful that we came with him."

Ilaria's eyes widened in disbelief. "Thankful?! You thought I would be thankful that you let him come here? It's Ben, Evie! Benjamin Beast. Also known as the nicest person ever who wouldn't last two seconds in this place." She shook her head. "I need to walk away."

"Babe―︎"

Ilaria held up a finger. "Don't. I don't want to say something that I'm going to regret." She turned on her heel and walked back outside.