Page 93 of Fallen Legacy

I shake my head. He is lying. “No. No, don’t say that to me.”

I watch the pain on Archer’s face, and I know what I’m seeing. Grief and loss. “Why? Why has he taken someone else from me?”

Archer pulls me into his arms, and we sit on the bed and cling to each other. “This is my fault,” I mumble as the tears fall down my face. “I hid this baby from everyone, and now this is my punishment.”

“No, Scar. Don’t do this to yourself. If it’s anyone's fault, it’s mine. You didn’t feel you could tell me because of the way I treated you and lied to you. This isn’t your fault.”

I pull slightly away from him so that I can look into his eyes. “It’s not your fault either, Archer. I wanted to tell you, I swear, I was just so scared and unprepared, and it just took some time to sink in. I wanted the baby. I wanted our baby.”

His eyes hold mine and I see the pain and regret reflected there. “I know you did, Scar. And just so you know, I wanted him to. I would have loved him and been a good dad.”

“Him?” I say, my voice breaking. “Our baby was a boy.”

He nods his head and my heart breaks as I watch a tear fall down my dark boy’s face. Seeing that tear brings me a mix of pain and relief. Archer doesn’t cry. He hasn’t cried since he lost his mother, just like me. But these tears show he’s not bottling his emotions up and that is a good thing.

We sit there in each other’s arms and comfort each other, and despite the pain I feel at losing our baby boy; I know this will bring us closer.

* * *

It takesa full day of harassing the nurses and all my visitors before they finally relent and help me into a wheelchair to take me to see my friend. Archer insists he’ll take me, even though I pleaded for Vee, because well, Archer and the Silver in one room doesn’t seem like a smart idea.

We take the lift to the next floor and Archer wheels me down the long corridor. At the far end, I can see a group of people sitting together and I realise it’s Silver’s family—his sister Emma, his older brother and his little sister Milly.

“Eliza!” Milly says, spotting me first and jumping to her feet. This grabs the attention of the other two. Emma smiles and waves at me whilst Luca remains in his seat, his arms folded, and glares my way as Archer wheels me closer.

“It’s so good to see you up and about,” Milly says as she leans down and hugs me gently. “How are you feeling?”

I bob my shoulders. “Like I’ve been in a car accident,” I jest.

Emma hovers behind her and leans down next and drops a kiss on my cheek. “How are you?”

I sigh and pick at a fingernail. “A bit broken and bruised, but I’ll live.”

“But everything’s okay?” she asks me, her eyes looking briefly down to my stomach. I feel Archer’s hand tighten on my shoulder from where he’s standing behind me, so it’s clear he didn’t miss her hidden question.

“We lost the baby,” I tell her, my voice threatening to break on the last word.

Emma’s face pales and she crouches down so she can look me straight in the eye. Her warm hazel eyes are full of sympathy. “Oh, Eliza. I’m so sorry. I’m here if ever you want to talk.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.” I offer her a reassuring smile. “How is he?” My eyes focusing on the closed door to my left.

Emma sighs and brushes her blonde hair off her shoulder. “He’s getting there. They placed him in an induced coma because of the extent of his injuries. He’s stable now.”

I swallow deeply. It’s my fault he’s in here. It’s my fault that he very nearly could have died. Everything is my fault.

“And his legs? Archer told me the car caught fire and burned his legs,” I ask Emma, scared of what her answer may be.

“He’s had surgery on his left leg. It was pretty smashed up. He’s had to have a lot of metal pins in place. The burns will heal.” Emma’s attention turns to Archer. “I understand we have you and your friends to thank for getting my brother out of that car.”

“It was nothing,” Archer insists from behind me, and I place my hand over the one that rests on my shoulder. “We did what anyone else would have done in that situation.”

Emma shakes her head at him. “No, you and your friends knew the car could blow at any second, and you made sure he was safe. No words can express how grateful we are.”

Luca has been sitting quietly, his expression unreadable. He stands to his feet, and I think we all hold our breaths as we wait to see what he’ll say. He looks at me and then offers his hand to Archer.

“Thank you for getting my brother out and saving his life.”

There’s a second where Archer stares down at his open palm before he reaches for it, and they shake hands. I release the breath I’ve been holding and Emma smiles at me wide-eyed, her relief clear.

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