S E V E N T Y - S I X


    EMERSON.


    "This ce still looks the same. " I say to Eli as I walk inside the house and he lets out a chuckle as he


    closes the door. "You know I hate having different things often. "


    "Except women. " I mumble as I turn back to meet his eyes and he''s loosening the button by his wrist.


    "Nowe on, brother. Just because you got lucky to find one woman you love doesn''t mean you


    weren''t once like me. "


    I smile and look away from him, my eyes moving across the couch, and I see myself walking inside my


    living room with Eva sitting right there. My smile drops and I look away. Elias notices the change in my


    mood and he furrows his brows at me, "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing. I just remembered something. " I tell him and he hums before he strides into his kitchen while


    I follow behind him. He opens the fridge and what I see is her in her shorts with a smile on her face as


    she opens the refrigerator to get one of her favourite vours of ice cream. She''s here. She''s


    everywhere. Every small action. Every single one; I see her.


    "Em, are you sure you''re okay?" I lift my gaze to Elias standing in front of me and I shake my head, the


    words leaving my mouth before I can control them. "Don''t call me that. "


    "What?" Confusion isced through his voice as he speaks, and I brush my hand down my face,


    cursing under my breath. "Emerson?" That soft tone she uses.


    "Are you okay?" I flinch at the touch of Elias to my hand and he takes a step back.


    "I''m sorry, " I mumble as I lower my gaze from his. "I''m sorry. I— I didn''t mean to. I''m sorry. She calls


    me like that, and I–"


    "It''s fine. I know what you mean. " He responds and my chest drops as I slide into the seat by the


    ind, dropping my hands on it. Elias moves in front of me and opens his mouth, "It''s hard, isn''t it?"


    "Not any harder than it''d be for her. " I whisper and he remains silent for a while, with his gaze fixed on


    mine before he breaks the silence. "You didn''t bring any clothes?"


    "I didn''t. " I confirm and he says, "Why?"


    "I didn''t think it was necessary. " I respond with a lift of my shoulder and Eli narrows his eyes at me,


    "You wereing here, far away from home and you didn''t think it was necessary to bring your


    clothes?" No. I thought I''d be better if I didn''t take anything from that room. Maybe she''d see this as


    something else, rather than leaving. I thought that''d be another assurance for her to know that I''ll be


    back.


    "I realized your clothes would be of better quality. " I say to Elias and he shakes his head, a smallugh


    leaving his lips. "You haven''t changed. "


    "If I do, you wouldn''t like me anymore. " I tell him and heughs again; louder this time. The sight of my


    brotherughing brings a smile to my face and when our eyes meet, the sound slowly dies down and


    he says, "I''ve missed having you around, kiddo. "


    "Don''t call me that. " I throw him a frown and his lips curves into a smirk. "Why not? Aren''t you a kid?"


    "I''m not. I''m fucking twenty. " I say and he tilts his head. "Still sounds like a kid to me. "


    "Elias. " I drawl his name and he does the same to mine. "Emerson. " Once again, the mood drops


    because it''s that sound. It is, and I can''t decide if it''s echoing in my head, or it''s across the whole room.


    "This girl—" Elias starts to speak and I lift my gaze to him again. "What''s she like?"


    A smile touches my lips as I say, "Beautiful. Truly beautiful. And extremely stubborn. "


    "Sounds like someone I know. " Elias cuts in and I pass him a re, earning augh from him before I


    continue. "She makes me feel this way— I can''t exin it, but it''s like she''s within me. It sounds like


    something that would be impossible but I just have it with her. I don''t know. She''s just there and I— I


    always want to have that. " I match his gaze. "You don''t understand that, do you?"


    "I don''t. " He agrees and I smile, "You will once you find someone that makes you feel the exact way. "


    "I think we both know by now that I''m not the type to look for such things, little brother. " He says, finally


    taking a swig of the beer in his hand before he gestures it to me and when I refuse, he says, "Did the


    girl take away your sense of drinking amongst other things?"


    "She took everything. " I tell him and he scrunches his nose, "Yikes. Sounds like something I wouldn''t


    want to experience. "


    "I pray you find the girl that knocks you off your feet pretty soon. " I say and he shakes his head,


    walking around the ind to get to my side, "I''d bet that there''s no such girl on this. You might


    have fallen, brother but that doesn''t mean the same thing will happen to me. I''m better off this way. "


    He takes a step out of the kitchen and I move from the stool, folding my arms to my chest as I lean


    against the wall. "Why? You''re satisfied living this way?"


    "I can remember you were once. " He says as he takes his seat on the couch and I push myself off the


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    wall to walk behind him, "I wasn''t. I thought I was, but I wasn''t. I was always looking for love— I just


    never thought it was right beside me the whole time. "


    "Don''t bore me with the love speeches, Emerson. I''ll doze off. " He mutters and I chuckle as I jump over


    the couch to settle next to him. "My point is, maybe you do need someone to—"


    He doesn''t let me finish before he interrupts. "I have you, and that''s more than enough for me. That''ll


    always be more than enough for me. Well was—" he angles his head and when I arch my brows, he


    says, "When you weren''t delivering those love speeches. "


    I shake my head and nudge him with my elbow, earning anotherugh from him.


    We both stare into the air with Elias taking swigs of his beer before he tosses the bottle to the side. "But


    it wasn''t just that, was it?"


    "Uh?" I drop my gaze to his and he''s staring ahead of him. "Dad. There''s something else you haven''t


    told me, isn''t there?"


    I look away from his face, blinking once at the understanding of those words. "Why''d you think that?"


    "Because you can''t keep anything from me. I knew you were holding back something else when you


    mentioned his name. "


    "It''s better left unsaid. " I whisper and I can feel his eyes on me from the corners of mine. "What did he


    say?"


    "Nothing of importance. " I shrug and he grabs my arm, turning me to meet his eyes. His voice is harsh


    when the next wordse out, "Tell me, Emerson. What did that man say to you?"


    "You honestly don''t have to worry about it, Eli. I''m—" he silences the rest of my words with his. "I want


    to know. "


    With a sigh, I look away from him and take a breath before I open my mouth. "Mom. "


    That''s the only word it takes for Elias to understand me and his hand drops from my arm. " Tell me he


    didn''t pull that card again. "


    "He did, " I chuckle. "And maybe he''s right; I did take her away from all of us. "


    "Listen to me, Emerson, " he orders, holding my head to meet his eyes. Something strong dances


    through his green eyes, and it isn''t anger, nor is it rage. "When that incident happened; you med


    yourself and you went into hiding. That... Will never repeat itself. Mom went away because it was her


    time, and not because of you. And you should never give Mason the strength to use that card against


    you. Find peace within yourself, and have it done with. "


    "Why don''t you hate me?" I question in a whisper and he smiles, "Because I am to love you. "


    "Ew—" I joke and heughs, giving a small p to my cheek before he drops his hand. "Is the girl the


    only one privileged to say those words now?"


    "She is. " I confirm and he says, "What''s her name again? Eva?"


    "Yes. " I respond and he starts to move off the couch. "She did a good job stitching you up. "


    I snap my head at him. "What does that mean?"


    He smiles. "I need to get some sleep. "


    "Aren''t you eating?" I ask him and he says, "I just did. " When I give him a look of confusion, he


    gestures to the bottle on the floor and I scoff, "That''s not food. "


    "It is here. " He responds then says, "You can look into the refrigerator if you need something, and you


    can use the room you usedst time. "


    "You don''t want me in your room? Tired of mypany already, Eli?" I tease him and he shakes his


    head, "When have I ever let you in my bed? I''m more against it now than ever because I''m guessing


    you''d be cuddly than usual. "


    "Cuddling relieves stress. " I tell him and he grunts. "Not with me. Goodnight, little brother. Try to get


    some sleep; you look like you truly need it. " He taps my shoulder and I mumble a greeting before he


    strolls out of the room.


    I''m left in silence and a sigh leaves my mouth as I sink back on the couch, grabbing the pillow next to


    me and clutching it to my chest as the reminder of what I could have back home when in sleep, flows


    through my mind. And once again; it aches.


    DELILAH.


    "Is she alright?" I ask Aliya as she walks out of Eva''s room and she shakes her head, shutting the door


    behind her. "She isn''t talking to me. I think she needs some time alone. "


    I nod. "Thank you for bringing her here, sweetheart. It means a lot. " I tell her and she smiles, "I didn''t


    have a choice. She was suffering too much back there. "


    "Can I go see her?" Aliya takes a step to the side to block my way when I try to move forward. "I don''t


    think that''s a good call, Mrs Carson. She had a hard time getting to sleep, and I don''t think she wants to


    see you yet. "


    My heart drops and I take a step back, rubbing my palms against each other while she keeps her gaze


    on me.


    "Why?" I finally ask, "Why did he leave her?"


    "I don''t know. " She sighs, tearing her gaze from me. "He has never done this before so I don''t know


    what happened between them, or why he left her and Evie isn''t talking either. "


    "Thank you, Aliya. Will you be staying?"


    She nods. "I can''t leave her. "


    "Alright, sweetheart. You know your way around the house if you need anything, and I''ll be in my room


    if you have troubles with anything. "


    "Thank you, Ma. " She says and I smile, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze and taking a nce at the


    door before I walk out of sight.


    When I stride inside my bedroom, Matt is standing by the window with his arms folded to his chest and


    I stroll to his side, touching his arm to alert him. He turns to me with a face masked with worry, "How''s


    she?"


    "She doesn''t want me in; Aliya is with her. "


    He sighs, and wipes his palm down his face. I take a swallow before I speak, "Do you think we''re bad


    parents?"


    Matt snaps his head to meet my eyes. "What? Why''d you say that?"


    "Because we are? She was here, Matt. She warned us about this, and we failed to listen to our


    daughter. We failed to give her the support she wanted, and now she''s like this—"


    He shakes his head and lifts his hand to cup my face. "Delh. I don''t want you to think like that,


    please. "


    "We should have listened, Matt. " I cry to my husband and the pain in his own eyes for his daughter is


    unmistakable. "We should have given her what she wanted. If we had done that, instead of letting the


    rivalry between you and Mason get in the way; maybe this would have been stopped. Maybe it wouldn''t


    have toe to this. "


    "I don''t know what to say, Del. The boy left her. " He says and I sniffle before I speak again. "And that


    was influenced by our decision. We could have stopped this. We could have stopped it all, and now it''s


    — now she''s like this and I... I''m so scared, Matt. I''m so fùcking scared. "


    "Breathes, Delh. Breathes. " He whispers as his thumb strokes my cheeks and I cover his hands with


    mine. "I saw it. She was that way again; she didn''t talk. She didn''t look at me. She didn''t even want me


    by her side. I''ve seen this before, Matt. It''s like history repeating itself. It''s like the whole Lena incident


    happening again, and I don''t know what to do. I can''t have her like that again. I can''t lose my baby like


    that again. "


    "Shhh, Del. Come here. " He says, pulling my hands to bring me into his chest, and even his warmth


    isn''t enough to take the pain that I feel. No doubt the pain that we brought upon ourselves. "She''ll be


    fine. Eva is a strong girl and she''ll be fine and we''ll be with her through every single step. "


    "She doesn''t want us to. " I sob into his chest, my body trembling against his and he strokes my hair as


    he says, "We will. Even if she doesn''t want us to, we will. We''ve failed her once, but we''ll not repeat


    that mistake. We''ll be with her, love. Our daughter will be fine; we''ll make sure of it. "


    "I can''t—" I mumble, rubbing my head against his chest. "I can''t lose her. She''s all that there is. "