Page 131 of From Me to You

He would forgive me, I nodded to myself. I knew my baby still loved me. And after I tell him everything he would understand. He had to. I had all the proof.

Because he was the only person in the whole wide world who would know what to do. I didn’t know what to do. My entire life was crumbling. I wanted him so bad. I just wanted him to hold me and tell me that everything would be all right. He would help me get through this hell. I wanted my Jay back.

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I buried her a week later. I didn’t cry because no tears were left in me. I just existed. It made me terribly sad that no one came to her funeral. Liam was wasted, drunk out of his mind. He couldn’t even tell if it was morning or night.

And Jay never picked up my calls nor did anyone else. I sent about a thousand messages to Jay but he never answered. I didn’t realize he hated me that much. I thought he still cared about me.

I got her roses— so many of them. Her favorite flower. It was all I could do. I couldn’t explain how I felt— every breath I took felt like a chore. It made me feel selfish that I could do that when she couldn’t.

“Miss May.” A hand touched my shoulder, startling me. I turned to see an older-looking gentleman in a suit. I frowned. I didn’t know who he was or how he knew my name.

I was sitting in the pew of the small chapel. I had just said my final goodbye to Aunty M while she rested peacefully six feet under the ground. I couldn’t move from here.

“Miss May, I am sorry for your loss. I am Leon Timothy, Marie’s lawyer. She wanted me to give you this if anything happened to her.”

He handed me a thick white envelope that looked like a letter. I swallowed as I took it, and I watched him nod as he left.

Since when did Aunty M have a lawyer?

My hands shook as I tore it open. Two papers fell on my lap. I took the first one to read it.

My sweetest, dearest niece,

If you are reading this, then I am so sorry baby girl. I have left you all alone. But know that I will always love you and that I am always there for you in spirit. There wasn’t a single moment of regret in my life with you. You were one of the best things that happened to me. The moment I held you in my arms when you were a baby, I knew you were going to be mine.

I am terribly sorry that our time was cut short. I am sorry I couldn’t be there for all the happiest moments of your life. I know you will only do amazing things in life. And I am so proud of you.

There is a lot you don’t know, sweetie, and it is unfortunate that I have to tell you this way. Your mother, when she left us stole something from a very bad man. Something that cost a fortune. Your grandma and I tried everything we could to try and find her but we couldn’t. David wouldn’t leave us alone and kept taunting us for what your mother owed. So, we had no choice but to pay for it. We had no luck finding her even after all these years. Nobody knows where she went. But your mother was an addict, Evy. I don’t even know if she is still alive.

We have been paying what she owed for years now, but it never seems to end. We never wanted you to know because we didn’t want to worry you about it. But I am so sorry honey, that burden now falls on you. You have to find a way to pay it back. David is a very bad man so please don’t try to get on his bad side. As long you pay him, he will leave you alone. I have given all the details to you. It’s a lot, honey. I have saved as much as I could for you but I know it’s not enough. I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry, Evy. I hate leaving you alone. I hope you forgive me.

I hope that you will always be happy, Evy. I love you so much.

Love,

Your Aunty M.

Tears clouded my vision as I read and reread it again and again. I missed her so much. How could she leave me like this? I took a look at the other paper, and my eyes almost bugged out when I saw the numbers. It was close to half a million. What the hell did my mother do? Never in a million years would I be able to pay this debt off even with a good job. How was I going to pay for all of this while going to college?

A dark storming shadow enveloped my soul, and I shot to my feet. I didn’t care if he wouldn’t pick up my calls. I didn’t care about anything. I wanted to see him now.

I pulled out my phone and texted him again.

Evy– Jay, something bad had happened. Please, call me.

I waited for an hour, but he never replied. I heard a crashing sound outside the bedroom. I was back at the apartment. I walked out to see Liam sprawled on the floor, a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

I texted Jay again.

Evy– Please, I know you are mad. But you don’t know the whole truth. I still love you. I always love you. Please, I need you.

He never replied. I tried calling, just like I had several times this past hour but his phone wouldn’t reach me. I tried Katy’s but her call would never reach me. I wondered if they all had me blocked.

There was only one other person I thought of calling. Mikey.

His call would always ring, but he never picked it up.

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