Page 70 of From You to Me

A doctor soon came in to check on her, and thankfully, nothing was physically wrong with her, but mentally, it was a different matter. He advised that she might have some unresolved deep-seated issues to have such a visceral reaction, and it would probably be best if she could seek therapy for it. He prescribed some sedatives in case she had another outburst.

My head throbbed from a dull ache from seeing her like this. It worried me. As much as I didn’t want her in my life anymore, it was glaringly obvious something was wrong with her. It was an instinctive tic when it came to her. Even though she destroyed me, I wanted her to be happy and safe, not this broken shell of a person.

I sighed as I watched her sleep. Her thick, long lashes fluttered over her pale, flushed cheeks, and her pink lips pursed as she drew in a breath. The twitch in her hands and the lines around her eyes told me it wasn’t a peaceful sleep.

My mind flashed back to everything she’d told me.

The phone call. LA. Cece.

Although I’ve built a fort not to buy her lies anymore, it was hard to believe that Evy would lie in a situation like this.

“Hey, man. Everyone’s ready to go.” Mikey placed a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded.

After all this was over, I vowed to get to the bottom of this and find out what actually happened six years ago.

It was constantly nagging my mind because if any of what Evy said was true.

I fucked up.

Big time.

CHAPTER 16

EVY

The sound of the jet swerving down the gravel switched me back to the present. The foreboding silence inside the aircraft was deafening. When I woke up earlier, I was met with a pair of concerned blues. It took me a moment before a blazing flush crept up my cheeks as I recalled my little episode at the apartment.

It had only happened two times before. One was when Auntie M died, and the other was one desolate night when I almost gave everything up.

I hardly had a wild reaction like that, but when I remembered that I had missed Auntie M’s anniversary along with Katy’s words drilling into my mind, I lost it.

Every year during this time, I always withdrew from the world. It was the period six years ago when a cascade of bad events fell like dominos, wrecking my life for the worst.

Jay. Auntie M. And the incident at Bluebird.

So I closed off blanketing myself in a cloud of melancholy and losing myself in self-despair. But I always got back up after I went to see her. It had kind of become a customary tradition for me each year to wallow in sadness until I went and talked to her and told her everything that had happened in the past year. Only then did I feel somewhat lifted.

I caught Jay’s eyes; a finger traced the corner of his lips as he regarded me with a pensive expression. From the moment I woke up, his eyes had been following me like a hawk.

A soft hand squeezed mine. I tried to give Lily a small smile, who also tagged along with the rest of the band. Even Katy was here, a devastated look marring her eyes. She tried to talk to me, but Jay flatly told her to stay away.

I assumed Jay had filled them in on Auntie M’s death. The sadness in all their faces told me it was news to them. So the millions called that I placed when she died had never reached any of them. I wonder how many strings that manipulative bitch pulled.

I wondered what actually happened.

My thoughts halted as we neared the quaint church where I buried her. Calming trees among the mountains of green. It was serene. I wanted her to rest peacefully.

Jay laced his strong fingers with mine. His warmth seeped into my cold, cold body as we walked to her stone.

Marie Eleanor May.

A loving aunt, friend, and lover.

A single pearl of salt trickled its way up the corner of my eyes at the sight of dozens of roses adorning her grave. I immediately knew who did it.

I ran my thumb over the hand that held mine, as my eyes met his blues. “Thank you,” I whispered, grateful.

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