answer me.
But he can’t.
“Dammit,” Jace hisses.
A deep, wide wave of pain spreads throughout my chest, gripping me by the throat until I’m trembling.
He pinky swore.
In one fell swoop, Cole picks me up and heads for the staircase.
I kick and scream the whole way down, not wanting to be away from my favorite person.
Even though he’s no longer here.
“I’m sorry,” Cole whispers.
All I can do is cry. As if my tears and agony alone could bring him back.
But they won’t.
Because Liam broke his promise.
Broke what was left of me.
Chapter 8
Giving me a hopeful smile, Jace squeezes my arm. “We brought you breakfast.”
As if on cue, Cole holds up a paper bag. “Sausage and eggs.”
I close my eyes, willing them to go away.
“It’s been over a week, Jace,” Cole mutters. “She’s not snapping out of this.”
Jace sighs. “I know.”
I draw in a sharp agonizing breath as their footsteps fade, wishing it would wash all the pain away.
He left me without warning.
One second we were waiting for him to join us for breakfast and making plans to go to the mall…and the next he was gone.
Just like our mother.
“Fuck this,” Jace grunts before I hear the footsteps returning to my room. “I’m not losing her too.”
“Go away,” I choke out.
I don’t want to talk.
I don’t want to breathe.
I don’t want to live in a world in which he no longer exists.
If God had any compassion, he would have taken me too.
Jace crosses his arms. “No.”
Cole matches his stance. “Make us.”
Their stubbornness would almost be comical if my heart didn’t feel like someone took a blowtorch to it.
“He left me,” I whisper, a fresh wave of agony swelling in my chest.
He knew I couldn’t survive without him.
He knew I wouldn’t make it on my own.
“He left all of us,” Cole bites out, towering over me.
Cole’s always been a moody jerk, but right now he’s pissing me off more than usual.
I glare at him. “Go away.”
“Cole’s right,” Jace interjects and the pain reflecting in his eyes mirrors my own. “But as much as it hurts, you have to find a way to go on.”
How?
How the hell do you go on living when the two most important people in your life are dead?
How do you wake up to face a brand-new day without the constant reminder of everything you lost?
How do you move past all the pain?
Easy. You don’t.
Because time doesn’t heal all wounds.
It just leaves you with scars.
“I can’t.” I don’t bother wiping the tear that slides down my cheek. “I don’t have a reason to.”
Not anymore.
I have no mom, no Liam…and the only memories I have cause me a heart full of what feels like non-stop suffering.
A loud crash makes me jump.
“Fuck you,” Jace bites out, seething with anger.
“I—”
He punches his chest with his fist. “You have us, Bianca. You still have us.”
Something uncomfortable churns in my belly.
Guilt, I realize.
Because the heartbroken look on his face tells me how much what I said hurt him.
I notice Cole’s wounded expression and inwardly flinch. Hurt them both.
“I know how much you miss them.” Cole shrugs helplessly. “But Jace and I…we’re still here. That has to count for something, right?”
Regret and shame tangle in my chest. I never meant to make them feel like they didn’t matter.
“I’m sorry.”
Even though losing Mom and Liam hurts like hell, I have two very important reasons to try and put one step in front of the other and pull myself together.
“Don’t be sorry,” Jace says. “Just be here with us.” His gaze ping-pongs between Cole and me. “Because even though they’re gone, we’re still a family.”
Nodding, Cole turns his focus on me. “Look, I’m not gonna stand here and promise to be a perfect brother like Liam was and Jace is. But I’ll do whatever it takes to help you through this. Deal?”
I tilt my chin to meet his gaze. “Deal.”
“Good.” He gestures to the bag containing my breakfast. “Now eat that before it gets cold.”
I look at Jace. “Is he always so bossy?”
His lips twitch. “Yup.” He takes the breakfast sandwich out of the bag and places it on my meal tray. “He gets it from me. Now eat.”
I’m torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to hug them.
I peer up at my brothers. We stopped saying it after Mom died, but I really need them to know how I feel. That despite my heartbreak over losing Liam, I’m still grateful they’re here and they’re both equally important to me.
“I love you.”
Surprise crosses over Jace’s face before he recovers. “Love