Page 75 of Echoes of Us
"Remarkable, isn't he?"Margaret materialized beside her, candlelight catching in her perfectly coiffed hair.Her wine glass trembled slightly, betraying the steadiness of her voice."How he's grown."
Something hungry lived in Margaret's tone, something that made Ashley's skin crawl.When Cole glanced their way, Margaret's chin lifted in approval.Like a conductor guiding an orchestra.
Like a mother molding a son into the shape of another.
Cole's spine straightened automatically, his posture shifting to match his brother's across the room.Perfect mirror images, reflecting something that hadn't happened yet.
"Just like his brother," Margaret whispered, the words slipping out like a prayer, like a confession.She pressed her lips together immediately, but it was too late.
The room swayed.Or maybe Ashley did.She watched through blurring vision as Cole explained a theory, his hands moving in perfect synchronization with Dale's across the room.Every gesture is a practice in becoming.Every pause was an echo of what he would lose.
"Ashley?"Dale appeared beside her, concerned about drawing his brows together."Are you alright?"
She couldn't answer.All she could see was how Cole's head snapped up at his brother's voice, his body automatically adjusting to match Dale's stance.And Margaret - Margaret watched it all with desperate satisfaction like she was already rehearsing for a future where one son would have to become both.
Ashley's wine glass slipped from numb fingers.Crystal shattered against hardwood, spraying red like secrets finally spilled.Like blood.Like destiny.
The sound seemed to echo forever.
Ashley didn't remember leaving the dinner.One moment, she was watching red wine spread across the floor.The next, she was stumbling down empty hallways, fluorescent lights humming overhead.Her heels clicked against the tile, the sound echoing after her.
The physics lab appeared like a refuge, dark and familiar.She fumbled for the light switch but stopped, preferring the shadows.She pressed her back against a cold wall, sliding down until she hit the floor.
Her professional mind kicked in, detached and clinical: Hyperventilation.Acute stress response.But knowing the terms didn't help when her chest felt too tight when every breath caught on the reality of what she'd realized.
All those little changes in her Cole after Dale died.The way he'd grown quieter, more measured.How he'd taken over Dale's research and adopted his teaching style.She'd thought it was grief, thought it was growing up, though-
"Ashley?"
Dale's voice in the doorway made her flinch.He stood silhouetted against the hallway light, one hand on the door frame.The gesture was so familiar it hurt - she'd seen her Cole stand exactly like that countless times.
"Don't," she managed, the word coming out strangled."Please."
But he was already moving toward her, concerned about drawing his brows together in that way that made her stomach turn.How many times had she seen that same expression on her husband's face?Which brother had it belonged to first?
"What happened back there?"Dale crouched beside her, careful to give her space."You look like you've seen a ghost."
A laugh bubbled up, sharp and hysterical.A ghost.That's exactly what she'd seen - the ghost of the man beside her, wearing his brother's skin.
"I can't-" she pressed her palms against her eyes, trying to block out his presence."I can't look at you right now."
"Ashley."His voice gentled, and goodness, she could hear how Cole had learned to modulate his tone just like that."Tell me what's wrong."
Every word, every gesture, was like another piece falling into place.A puzzle she'd never wanted to solve.
"Please go," she whispered.
She felt him hesitate, felt him shift as if to reach for her.Then he stood, his movement precise and controlled.Just like Cole's had become.
"I'll get Sarah."
The door closed softly behind him.In the dark, empty lab, Ashley let herself shatter.
Her sobs echoed against glass beakers and metal equipment, harsh and raw in a way that she hadn’t allowed herself before.She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't catch her breath between waves of grief that felt like they might tear her apart.
The door opened, spilling hallway light across the floor.Through her tears, she didn't need to look up to know it was Cole - his presence had always filled rooms differently than his brother's.
Moonlight caught his silhouette as he stood in the doorway, the perfect posture from dinner gone.His tie hung loose, and shirt sleeves rolled up - little cracks in the evening's careful performance.The sound of her crying filled the space between them.
