Unbreakable

  Unbreakable

  Amie Nichols

  Smashwords Edition 2013

  Prologue

  Fatal Car Crash Involves Two of Louisiana’s Wealthiest

  Theodore and Jane Sumnor, of Franklin, LA, died Sunday when their car crashed and caught fire. They were returning from a charity banquet around midnight when authorities believe that Mr. Sumnor lost control of the car while avoiding a deer and hit a tree. Local authorities report that they were knocked unconscious when the car struck the tree. A gas leak was the cause of the fire that killed both of the Sumnors instantly.

  Theodore Sumnor was well known for owning land and plantations all over Louisiana. His fortune grew when he sold some of his land for mineral and oil rights. His wife, Jane, was respected in the community for her charity work and socialite status. Lilly Sumnor, their only child and only surviving heir, is said to inherit the entire estate. Their deaths come just one week before Lilly’s 18th birthday. The Sumnor Family have been residents of St. Mary’s Parrish since the 1850’s.

  We spoke with some of Jane’s friends about the tragedy. Adeline Grace, one of Jane’s closet friends, tells us Ted and Jane will be missed. “The world will not be the same without that kind hearted woman.” She also was quoted saying, “Lilly was adopted. It's appalling that she will inherit all that money. Jane was a saint taking that child in and she had been nothing but trouble for her. She’s been ungrateful of Jane’s generosity ever since she was able to talk.” Adeline also added, “I frankly don’t think she deserves a cent of the money, especially since she is not legally blood.” When this reporter asked Adeline where the money should go she is quoted saying. “Well, obviously it should go to the charities Jane was so diligent in. We will be working on attesting the decision of the judge that granted Lilly all of the estate.”

  Elliot Williams the family’s attorney did comment that Lilly Sumnor is the legally adopted daughter of Theodore and Jane Sumnor. She will inherit the whole estate. “They can attest all they want but it won’t get them anywhere,” was his answer to Mrs. Grace’s comment. “It’s cut and dry, black and white. That's all there is to it folks,” Mr. Williams was also quoted saying.

  Chapter 1

  Luke

  The first time I saw her she was in her early teens. A young woman robbed of a childhood, but she was a strong one. Her laugh and smile were like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Although she's had years of being beat down over and over by an abusive mother, she did not let that get in her way. She’s played the game. She’s waited patiently for her turn, which would be soon.

  Hell if this girl wasn't tough, smart, true, and loving. She was an angel. I knew even at her young age that she was going to grow up to be the most beautiful woman that I would ever see. I also knew that I was absolutely and undeniably head over heels in love with her. If she could just survive the hell she was living, this girl, my Sweet Lilly Flower, would be free and I would marry her one day.

  Lilly

  2 years earlier:

  I knew that I was in trouble as soon as the comment came out of her mouth. I couldn’t control my eyes rolling at the ridiculous statement. “Oh Jane, you are such a saint,” Adeline coos to my adopted mother Jane in a pathetic idolizing tone, staring up at her with doe eyes in amazement.

  We sit in our formal dining hall around the big, elaborate, 100-year-old dining room table with twelve of Jane’s rich stuck up friends while they discuss their bullshit charity work. I could not control my eyes or myself. As soon as I look straight again, I see that Jane saw my expression and can see the steam already coming off of her in a mad rage. I am to be the sweet dutiful daughter and just sit there. I'm also to act like I am in total amazement of Jane. Only speak when spoken to. I, of course, am not to show such annoyance on my face.

  “Well, if you will excuse me ladies, I am going to check on our tea and cakes. Lilly dear, please join your mother,” Jane says with such grace and elegance as she stands from the table and places her hand gently on my shoulder.

  “Yes, Mother,” I answer appropriately, not wanting to get in any more trouble today. I stand bowing to the ladies in my ugly pink dress that is frilly and atrocious then turn to follow Jane through the extravagant wood doors that lead to the kitchen. Everything in our Louisiana plantation mansion is large and over the top.

  The minute we are in the kitchen out of earshot, I feel Jane’s long skinny fingers wrap around my arms just above my elbows. I brace myself just in time as I am thrust against the pantry doors. Her grip tightens and pain shoots through my arms.

  “You little fucking bitch! How dare you do that at my table?” Jane's eyes are piercing mine. She grits her teeth as the words come out of her mouth with such anger, but is trying to control her volume. “What, you didn’t think I would see such blatant disrespect?” Her tone still low, but just as angry. I stand as still as I can, silent and non-confrontational. I learned a long time ago that saying anything at all just made her angrier, and I think the sound of my voice alone infuriates her. “Thank God no one else saw,” she hisses, tightening her grip one more time making my hands start to go numb.

  She finally lets go, sweeping a strand of hair out of her eyes as she turns to Miss Finnegan, who is our live-in house maid and cook. Miss Finnegan is standing there tense as she witnesses the encounter. She has seen this sort of thing many of times since I am in trouble a lot. I have no idea why, but Jane hates me with every fiber of her being, and the feeling is mutual. It takes very little for me to set her off. It has always been this way. I know of nothing else.

  “Now help her with the tea. When you return there better be no more out of you, understand?” She points her finger in my face. I know now is the time to speak.

  “Yes. I am so very sorry, please forgive me.” I bow to her. I learned a long time ago that this sort of humiliating shame is the only way to appease her.

  With a huff at my apology, Jane turns away from me smoothing down her long white skirt composing herself to look flawless and presentable again. “I want to see you in there in no more than five minutes,” she spits her order to Miss Finnegan.

  Jane turns on her heels storming out of the kitchen. Her long red hair looks like flames as she flies through the door.

  “Lilly Sumnor, what on earth did you do to set her off this time?” Miss Finnegan starts to lecture me. I rub my arms where Jane’s grip was and wince as stinging still resonates through my fingers.

  “I rolled my eyes at Adeline,” I say innocently looking up at Miss Finnegan. I love her so much. She is the only true mother I've ever known, the only one I can remember ever taking care of me from the very beginning.

  “What in the world...you had to have known the outcome of that,” she says with disbelief, knowing full well that that sort of thing was just stupid on my part. She pleads with me every day to behave because she can only sit back and watch. If she ever stepped in to intervene, Jane would fire her on the spot.

  “I know, I know. I can’t stand the way Adeline fawns all over her like she's a saint. It’s pathetic,” I defend myself. “I’m sorry. I will go out there and be on my best behavior.”

  Miss Finnegan and I serve the women their tea and cakes. I am excused by Jane as soon as we are done, probably scared of another misbehavior that she can’t hide. Relieved not having to listen to the gossip of who did what, who doesn’t have money anymore, why, and blah blah blah, I exit the room in a hurry.

  I help Miss Finnegan clean up then excuse myself to my room not wanting to see anyone as they leave. In the great room of the mansion, the intricate hand carved marble staircase curves up in a spiral leading to the second floor. Four bedrooms make up the second floor. My room is on the left side in the far back, and is the smallest of them all.

 
; A large guest room is the closest to mine. Next to it is my father’s room, which he’s hardly ever in since he spends most of his time away on business. The last bedroom, and the biggest, is Jane’s room. I've only been in there once when Jane was gone. I snuck in to see. It has an excessively large bed that is the centerpiece of the room, a whole sitting area with a full size couch, chairs on one side of the bed, and a very large walk-in closet. The bathroom itself is larger than my room and is adorned in dark marbles with gold trim. There is a sunken Jacuzzi tub and a shower that could hold ten people easily. While in there I snooped in her medicine cabinet finding an array of prescription bottles. Many of them were for depression and trouble sleeping.

  Sometimes Jane would be in her room for days at a time only allowing her personal assistant Mckayla in the room. She'd bring her food to her and tend to her every need. Miss Finnegan would tell me that she was having one of her "episodes” and is probably drugged up. Once I saw all the pills I understood what she meant.

  Jane and Ted’s relationship was more of a business arrangement than a marriage. I had heard that they were happy at one time, but not long before I was adopted something happened that made them the way they are today. My father is spending most of his time away. When he is home I barely see him.

  I know my father loves me, but when he looks at me all I see is sadness. Ted and Jane are rarely seen together, except for the occasional charity function or business dinners where it is appropriate. I would hear Jane talk about my father sometimes and there is no love. She has so much hatred for him. I could tell that the feeling was mutual. As I’ve gotten older, the distance between my father and me has grown as well.

  He had come home one week from a business trip, and when I went to hug him he pulled me back staring at my face. I remember him saying something strange, “You're just as beautiful as your mother,” he had mumbled to himself. I’m sure that I saw a tear in his eye. When I tried to ask him about the statement, he brushed me off disappearing into his study where I couldn't see him, and the next thing I knew he was away on business again. I had told Miss Finnegan what he'd said and she said it was ridiculous, I must’ve heard wrong. That Jane and Ted didn't know my biological mother. I will never forget the pain in his eyes when he said that.

  I enter my room and wander over to the window. When I open it, I notice our grounds keeper Jeffrey working in the side yard. We have forty acres and it keeps him very busy. I love talking to Jeffrey. When Jane is away on one of her shopping trips or spa weekends, one of my favorite things to do, that I'm not allowed to do when Jane's home, is to go out and help Jeffrey. I also spend time with Ted’s lawyer’s daughter, Emma Williams. We have been friends now for about five years. Jane knows nothing about it. I only see her when she's gone because I’m not allowed to have friends, especially Emma. Emma is a couple years older than me and she is a spitfire. She has taught me a lot by filling me in on things that happen in the outside world that I'm not allowed to experience. If Jane ever found out about our friendship there'd be hell to pay, not only for me, but also for Miss. Finnegan for allowing it to happen. Jane also hates Elliot Williams, Emma’s father and Ted’s best friend. From the encounters I have witnessed between Jane and Elliot, it is a shared hatred.

  While dazing out the window, day dreaming of being outdoors and helping Jeffrey in the yard, I see someone out of the corner of my eye. My mouth drops to the floor seeing that it’s Luke Hansen, Jeffrey’s son. Oh my god, I can't believe he’s back. It’s been two years since I’ve seen him. He’s tall and very muscular with dark brown hair that's wet from sweat, making it somewhat curly and unruly. I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s gorgeous with strong cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. I see his muscles through his light, white shirt that's dampened with sweat.

  I lean further out the window not believing my eyes. I feel like he’s a mirage. He used to help his dad in the summers. I had one hell of a crush on him. He was seventeen then and I knew that he was just humoring me, but he was so kind to me and could always make me smile. He must be nineteen or twenty now. I can’t believe how different he looks. He’s a man, a gorgeous breathtaking man. Luke is in my dreams all the time, especially these last few years as my body's grown and changes have happened. I blush as I remember the last dream I had of him. He was kissing me gently and passionately telling me that he was going to take me away from Jane. When I'd awaken, I was damp with sweat, warm, and feeling flush.

  He helped his dad when he was younger and I couldn’t wait to be near him. Only being 14, I liked it when he was there because he was so attentive to me, like he felt protective in a way. He let me help them with what they were doing. Luke would keep a watchful eye to make sure I didn’t get hurt. I was so in love with him. I knew he cared for me, but I think I was more like a little sister to him.

  One day I had one of my run-ins with Jane. She had slapped me across the face. I wasn’t even sure what I did to piss her off. I think she was just in a bad mood, and belittling me always makes her feel better. I was used to her mean words. Miss Finnegan is always telling me to ignore her, they were just that, “only words”, and they weren't true.

  I glaze over when she goes on a rampage. That day, when she slapped me, she must have seen the indifference in my eyes. After her hand made it across my face, I felt the sting and the swelling instantly. It must've appeased her, because she stomped off with Mckayla on her heels to leave and go shopping.

  It was fine with me because I knew Luke was there and I so desperately wanted to see him. As soon as Jane was gone, I ran from the house in search for him knowing that he would make me forget all about Jane. I was so excited to see him I didn’t even feel the pain on my cheek and lip. When I turned the corner of the house I saw him leaning over the shrubbery lining one of the paths that curved around the property and came to a stop.

  My mouth had gone dry just like so many other times when I'd see him. He noticed me and his face lit up giving me one of his warm smiles that always melted my heart. Once I got closer to him though, his face shifted to a frown. I saw darkness in his eyes like he was angry. I halted in my steps not sure what I'd done when he reached me.

  “Lilly, your face, what happened?” I put my hand up and the moment my hand touched my cheek I felt the sting of the sensitive bruised flesh. I knew then what he was mad about. This wasn’t the first bruise I'd sported from the hands of Jane, but this was the worst one he'd seen. He knew that Jane was verbally abusive having heard her yelling at me before, which thoroughly pissed him off. Jeffrey had told Luke that I was fine and it was something that I had learned to deal with, and I had. Jeffrey, just like Miss Finnegan, never said anything because he would be fired. I'd die if they weren’t here, so I know their silence was actually for me.

  I know that Jane has a lot of influence in the town. Emma told me that her dad had tried to report the abuse at one time. Jane was so honored and cherished in the town that not only did no one check up on the accusation, but Elliott was actually chastised for making such an awful allegation. It hadn’t taken long for word to get back to Jane. If it wasn’t for my father protecting his friend, she would've ruined Elliot and his business. I know why no one is able to do anything about Jane’s abuse. I wanted it that way in order to keep Miss Finnegan, Jeffrey, and Luke with me. I don’t know if I could survive Jane if wasn’t for them, and because I knew deep down that if I was ever in real true danger, that they'd be here.

  “Lilly, what happened?” Luke repeated after I hadn’t responded right away. He made it no secret that he wanted to make Jane pay for her abuse. Jeffrey’s warnings to him were keeping him at bay, but I feared the same as Jeffrey. Once Luke blew the results wouldn't be good for any of us.

  “I fell and hit my cheek on the step,” I lied not wanting Luke to know that Jane had done it. “You know me, so clumsy.” I tried to make light of the situation.

  “You’re lying, Lilly Flower.” Luke’s term of endearment for me always made my insides go warm. “Did Jane do t
his?” He pressed. He could read me so well.

  “No, it's fine. It doesn’t even hurt. What are you doing?” I was trying to change the subject. I glance down at his project, which was trimming the bushes back.

  His hand came to my face and I licked my lips tasting my blood. I realized that my lip was split and I could feel the swelling. He gently ran his thumb along the bruised skin sending chills through me. “I want you to go inside and put some ice on it. OK?” His words were gentle. I knew he didn't believe me. “Don’t want it swelling up anymore. I need to go speak with my dad so run along and do as I say.” He didn’t give me any option as he turned me around and started to guide me to the house. I didn’t want to go in. I wanted to stay with Luke, but I went inside anyway and did as I was told.

  Jane had come home while I was sitting at the table with the ice pack to my face. Dread entered my mind because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go out and see Luke anymore today. She had gone straight to her room. Mckayla went to the liquor cabinet in the dining room and busily made Jane a drink before she disappeared up the steps to caudle her.

  The next day when Jane had left to go god knows where, I rushed outside to look for Luke. I couldn’t find him, but ran into Jeffrey in my search.

  “Lilly, sweetheart, Luke wasn’t lying. You do have a nasty bruise. You really need to be more careful,” Jeffrey stated, and I knew that he knew it wasn’t a fall either.

  “Where’s Luke?” I asked ignoring him about the bruise, which was the last thing I wanted to think about now.

  “He’s not coming back for a while dear,” Jeffrey said. His words hit me like a hammer. “He's just too busy with sports and school. He needs to concentrate on his education,” he explained as I stood paralyzed at his words.

  I couldn’t relate to that since Miss Finnegan home schooled me. I'd already had a 12th grade education and was working on college level material, but Jane didn’t know. She would never allow me to learn more than a high school education. The only reason she even allowed that was because it was the law.