Page 106 of Dead Love
I opened my mouth to say I was sorry, but I couldn’t do it. Because I wasn’t sorry. I wasn’t going to apologize for yanking Kora from her mother’s cage.
But I could argue for Kora’s future.
“You need to let Kora go,” I said. “Let her make her own choices, even if they aren’t the best ones.” I shook my head. Hell, I needed to do that too. As long as I could ensure her safety from Andrew, I would back off. “She deserves to grow.”
“How would you know what she needs?” she snapped. “You don’t know anything about her.”
My throat ached, because, at one point, Shea would have been right. I didn’t know Kora when I had stolen her. And perhaps I still didn’t know her.
But none of that mattered now. Only Kora did.
“Andrew is taking advantage of your family,” I said calmly, stepping forward. I locked eyes with her. “Don’t let him hurt your daughter.”
“Andrew is a good man,” she said. “We’ve known him since he was a baby.”
A heaviness fell on my shoulders. “If you let him, he will hurt her.”
She took another step toward the house. “All I want is for her to be happy.” She tucked hair behind her ear, the same way her daughter did. “She’ll be safe with him.”
A grave expression crowded my face. “Controlling who she dates won’t guarantee her safety and happiness. Nor will it guarantee yours.”
She scowled at me, her face turning red. “Stay away from my daughter,” she whispered, tears in her eyes.
She disappeared into the house. I stood there, trying to picture the life that Kora would live. If Andrew was out of the picture, could I let her go? I ran through that possibility. As long as Kora was okay, as long as she was safe—what could I do for her?
I got back in my car and drove myself back to Quiet Meadows. I wandered to her grave, then stared at the daffodil engraving, running my hands over it, remembering the way she tore the petals apart. One day, Kora would find a good life, one without Andrew, but one that Shea approved of. And if I could find no fault, then I would have to let her go.
Because at least Kora would be happy.
* * *
Kora
I paced down the sidewalk,not looking back at Andrew, clutching my purse close to me like a shield. I wished I had that canvas bag from Vincent with me. I wanted to go to Quiet Meadows, but I knew Andrew would tell my mother that I was still out soon, and with the way the date ended, I couldn’t risk her overprotectiveness. I had to make her think I was safe at home.
Back inside of the house, my heart rate never slowed. I should have felt safe there, but I didn’t. Luckily, my mother was watching a movie in a distracted trance, her mind elsewhere. She didn’t ask about the date. I said goodnight, and she waved.
A few hours passed. When I was sure the house was quiet, I pulled open the window, letting in the dark night. I needed to calm myself, and for some reason, I kept dreaming of lying in the graveyard with Sarah, Bernie, and Ulysses, while Vincent muddied himself in the dirt. How he’d glance over the edge of a plot, asking me strange questions back.
I laid back down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not until I saw Vincent for myself.
I removed the screen, then put a hand on the windowsill. My bedroom was on the ground floor, like our old house. I slipped into an old pair of flats, leggings, and a loose sweatshirt. I lifted my leg, prying myself over the window, and landed on the fake grass.
Then I walked.
It was as if my body was ahead of my mind, like I was observing myself make a choice that I knew would haunt me. But I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want to.
It took me over an hour and a half, but when I finally saw those headstones like figures crouching in the darkness, relief washed through me. Down the path, the bright flowers shined in the night, sitting along the memorial stones. The floral perfume wafted through the breeze. I breathed it in, relishing it, hoping the scent would become engraved in my memory.
My heart pounded with each step, and when I saw his shadow, leaning against my headstone, my whole body clenched up, twisting into knots. It wasn’t about him coming in a dream to rescue me anymore. I didn’t need to be saved.
He was waiting for me. All I had to do was go find him.
CHAPTER35
Vincent
Kora stepped through the moonlight,the leggings snug on her thighs, a hoodie wrapped around her body, partly unzipped, her hair in a short ponytail. Those bushy eyebrows were expressive and wild, and yet pure, even with everything she had been through. My breath caught in my throat, my mind urging me not to let a single thing go, as if a single wisp of air could make her vanish, floating away into the night.
