Now that I watch some of them fall from my guitar, my pulse quickens.
I bend down, open one of them and read the lyrics.
I'm drowning in those beautiful hazels
They never leave my mind
Just like your laughter
Makes me grateful that you're mine
Hazel eyes. Luke's eyes. A tear falls onto my cheek. How could I not remember him?
I open another small sticky note.
I miss you so bad, it hurts
Maybe I'll die in seven years
Hey Neptune, I believe you
Finish what you have to do
And come back for us
I wipe my tears away. What kind of promise did Luke and I have? My mind can't stop thinking about these lyrics.
Seven years. Finish what you have to do.What does it mean?
I remember Ms. Langston telling me that Luke's brother, Victor, died seven years ago. I also remember that his family business was on the verge of bankruptcy seven years ago.
Without thinking further, I rush toward the laptop sitting onthe desk in the music room. I open the web browser and Google Luke's brother.
I type,Victor Klein, and the search results show up. Thoroughly, I read the headlines.
Victor Klein and his significant other died in a car crash.
After the devastating news about the business going downhill, Klein Enterprise faced another tragedy of losing its first successor.
Victor and Emily died on the spot. Klein Enterprise at its lowest point.
I cover my mouth with my hand, my lips trembling. It must have been hard for Luke to go through all of that. Was bringing his family back from ruins his mission?
Was I even aware of this years ago?
But then I notice that something is odd. There's no mention of Aiden. All the articles only say about Victor's and Emily's deaths.
If Emily was pregnant at that time, shouldn’t it have been on the news? They should have mentioned that a baby survived the accident.
But if Emily wasn't pregnant, what about Aiden? If Aiden isn’t Victor and Emily's child, then whose child is he?
My chest tightens, and my headache begins to disturb me again. My instinct tells me to rush to Aiden's room, and so I do.
I bang the door open, feeling the same agony again as I stare into this empty room. I collapse onto the ground, and while I'm breaking into tears, something catches my attention.
There on the floor lies a pile of drawing papers. I crawl toward it, and my sobs break again as I stare at his beautiful watercolor masterpiece.
It's a painting of our house.
