Page 25

Eve

I don't know when it happened, when the tears started to fall. They seemed to come out of nowhere, a rush of emotion that poured from me uncontrollably. I felt it build up in my chest, a weight I could no longer bear.

The pressure squeezed the air from my lungs, and before I knew it, I was crying. I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. My body trembled, wracked with sobs as I curled into the familiar comfort of my bed.

The sheets, the pillow—they should have been comforting, but now they just felt suffocating.

The heartbreak felt like a physical wound, like something inside of me was unraveling, each tear a thread slowly coming undone. I had told Carson to leave.

I had shut the door on him, on us. I had ended everything we had, and I didn't even know why. It wasn't like I wanted to hurt him, but the words just kept coming, and I couldn't stop them. I had to walk away from him because I was broken, and I didn't want to break him too. I didn't want my father to break him.

The weight of his threat lay heavy on my shoulders, intensifying my sobs. I would plead with any god, anyone, I would beg for them to keep Carson alive.

It felt like I was drowning in my own emotions. The suffocating weight of guilt and sorrow, the sharp sting of my decision, made it almost impossible to breathe.

I kept seeing Carson's face in my mind, the way he had looked at me—like I had shattered him. And I had. I had done that. And now I had to live with it. Live with him hating me.

"I love you." His words whispered into my mind, I wanted to scream at him that I loved him as well, I wanted to haul him into my room and never let him go.

The room was quiet except for my quiet sobs, the soft rustle of my breath against the pillow. I hadn't even heard the door open.

"Eve?"

Katie's voice was soft but full of concern. I felt her presence before I saw her—her hands gently touching my shoulder, her warmth surrounding me. Her soft touch on my skin felt like a lifeline, and I didn't want to let go.

"Eve?" she repeated, her voice laced with worry. "Talk to me. Please."

I could barely form words. I just shook my head, my face pressed into the pillow. I didn't want her to see me like this. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. But she wouldn't leave. She never left.

Katie's arms were around me in an instant, pulling me into her chest. I could feel the steady beat of her heart against mine, the warmth of her embrace, and for the first time in hours, I felt like I wasn't entirely lost.

"I'm here, Eve," she whispered, her voice soothing. "Whatever this is, we'll get through it together. You don't have to do this alone."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that things could get better. But I couldn't make myself feel better. I couldn't stop the pain.

"I—I don't know what to do, Katie," I choked out, the words tumbling from my mouth in between sobs. "I hurt him. I hurt Carson. I...I ended it."

Her grip on me tightened, but she didn't say anything right away. She just held me, letting me cry, letting me feel whatever I needed to feel. She wasn't trying to fix me. She wasn't trying to give me answers.

She was just there. I needed Carson. I needed him so badly, I swear I could hear my soul scream for him.

I don't know how much time passed—minutes, hours, I couldn't tell. My body ached with exhaustion, the weight of everything I'd been holding onto pressing down on me. And then, eventually, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Sleep came in fits and starts, but it didn't bring me peace. I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all, the sense of heaviness still clinging to me.

When I stirred from my restless sleep, I didn't realize at first where I was. The room was dim, the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains. The air was still, and I could hear the faint sound of voices—two voices, low and urgent, drifting into the space between sleep and wakefulness.

"Do you think she'll listen to him?" Katie's voice broke through the haze. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was worried.

"I don't know. But we have to try," Elijah replied, his voice heavy with concern. I could hear the frustration in his tone, the helplessness. "She's not herself, Katie. She's too far gone. She's pushing us all away. But maybe... maybe her brother can get through to her."

I felt a flicker of recognition in the pit of my stomach. My brother. I hadn't thought about him in days, not really. Not since everything had fallen apart with Carson.

But hearing his name now brought a sense of clarity I hadn't had before, but it also brought unease. If he came here, he would find out what our father did and no doubt go out on a manhunt for him. No! I wanted to scream at them, my brother couldn't come here.

Katie sighed. "But will she even listen to him? He's her brother, Elijah. She's always been so protective of him. I don't know if she'll let him in."

"She doesn't have a choice," Elijah said softly. "She can't keep doing this to herself. She's not eating, she's not going to class, she's not talking to anyone. She needs someone to get through to her. And he's the only one who can."

I could hear the silence that followed, heavy and thick. It was a silence full of uncertainty, full of hope that maybe, just maybe, this could be the thing that helped me pull out of the fog I was trapped in.

I wanted to laugh, to scoff in their faces if they thought I would ever be able to function without Carson. I looked towards my phone on the table next to me, dead and powered off I had no doubt Carson was calling and texting me religiously.

But I couldn't bring myself to respond. I couldn't bring myself to do anything. I just lay there, listening to them, their words sinking in but not really registering. I wasn't sure if I was awake or still in some dreamlike state.

The conversation continued, but I couldn't focus on it anymore. My mind was drifting, caught in the haze of exhaustion, of everything I had been running from. I didn't know if I could face any of this, especially not with my brother. Especially not after everything that had happened with Carson.

I am not afraid, I am not afraid.

Before I could pull myself out of the haze, I heard footsteps, and the door creaked open.

"Elijah?" Katie's voice was calm, but I could hear the edge of worry in it. "Should we try again?"

"I think it's time," Elijah answered, his voice firm. "We can't keep waiting. She needs him."

I tried to pull myself up, tried to sit up, but I felt so heavy, so sluggish, like my body was working against me. I couldn't even find the strength to speak, let alone open the door.

The door clicked open, and I heard the soft shuffle of feet. I didn't want to face them—not like this, not now. But they were already here. They were already in my space, and I couldn't stop them.

"Elijah, Katie," I whispered hoarsely, but my voice felt foreign to me, as if it wasn't mine at all.

"Hey, Eve," Elijah's voice came through, soft but with a kind of certainty I wasn't sure I could believe in. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't respond. I couldn't. I just stared at the ceiling, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare.

And then as though we had conjured them up, the door opened again, and my brother's voice filled the room.

"Ev?" he said gently. "It's me. I'm here."

I froze. My heart skipped a beat, and I could feel the tears threatening to fall again. My brother, the one person I had tried so hard to protect from the truth—he was here, standing in my doorway, his presence an anchor I wasn't sure I could hold onto.

But before I could react, Lizzie walked in behind him, holding little Willa in her arms. The sight of them together—their little family—brought a wave of emotion crashing over me. They were so happy, so perfect. And here I was, broken and lost.

My brother looked at me, his expression a mixture of concern and uncertainty. Lizzie stepped closer, her eyes soft and filled with worry. I felt their eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet their gaze.

I wanted to speak. I wanted to say something, anything. But the words wouldn't come. The tears started again, the dam that had been holding them back finally breaking.

"Give me a moment with my sister please, baby." Luke said looking at Lizzie, I watched as she offered him a small smile, love and devotion shining in my brothers eyes as she walked out followed by Elijah and Katie. I wondered if thats what I looked like watching Carson.

"Luke," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I think I'm broken."