Eva came by every day, too. They watched a criminally offensive amount of cheesy rom-coms. The more time I spent watching Eva, the more I doubted she could be behind the betrayal. Especially now.
I still had at least one of my shadows following her at all times. After V fell asleep, I called them back with a report. Watching the scene play out nearly broke my fucking heart.
Eva was sitting on her couch with her knees curled into her chest, going through a photo album of the two of us. Tears were streaming down her face, flowing harder with every page she flipped.
“I’m sorry,” she kept whispering.
She picked up one of the photos. We were seventeen, standing on the front porch of the house we grew up in. I had my arms thrown over her shoulders, chin resting on the top of her head, grinning like an idiot in my suit. She was in a floor-length gown—the picture was in black and white but I knew that dress was navy blue—flipping off the camera with both hands and her tongue stuck out. I almost laughed. God, that felt like so long ago. That photo was taken prom night.
Eva’s momscolded her for ten minutes for her double middle finger stunt. I nodded along, adding my own points.
“You’ll make sure she behaves herself, won’t you Matts?”
I grinned. “I always do, Mom.”
She got all watery eyed, like she did the first time I’d slipped up and called her mom at eleven. I’d tried to take it back but she insisted it was fine. I’d called her Mom ever since.
“Such a good boy.” She sighed looking at her daughter. “You could learn a thing or two from him.”
“Yeah, how to kiss ass,” Eva mumbled under her breath. It took everything I had not to laugh.
“You’ll also keep all those disgusting teenage boys away from her, right, son?”
“You got it, boss.” I saluted her dad. “No one gets near my sister and lives.”
Eva elbowed me in the gut while I nearly died laughing. Her parents—our parents—scolded her some more before our friends arrived to take more picture. Eva ripped me a new one once we were in the limo, but I didn’t care, I was too busy laughing.
The emotions hitme like a fucking hurricane.No one gets near my sister and lives.I kept that attitude well into adulthood. I hadn’t lied to V when I told her all but those two scars were from bar fights. Fights for Eva. My sister.
“Aus?”
Violet’s soft voice broke me out of my spiral. She sat up in bed, rubbing her hands over my shoulders. I ducked my head away from her to wipe my eyes.
“You should be asleep.”
“I felt your pain.”
I met her gaze. She was still in rough shape, pale, non-existent appetite, dizzy spells, on and off coughing fits. This was the most aware I’d seen her since we got back from the cottage.
“I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. And that’s okay, you don’t have to hide from me.”
I shifted to face her. “I’m just… Me and Eva have been inseparable since we were kids. I’ve never gone more than a day or two without talking to her, and now…” I ran a hand over my face. “I don’t know what to do, V. It’s killing me.”
“I know, baby.” She rested her hand on my cheek, using her thumb to wipe a few stray tears. “But we’ll figure it out together, okay?”
I leaned into her touch and let my eyes fall shut as I nodded.
“I don’t know what I would do without you.” I kissed her palm, then her wrist and up her arm until I got to her shoulder and pulled her into my arms. “I’m so fucking lucky to have you,” I whispered, continuing to kisses her.
She wrapped her legs around my waist and arms around my shoulders. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
We werea week into the new year before Violet was back to full strength. I was worried for a while that she’d need to be hospitalized. During one of Whisper’s visits, she’d run to the bathroom, threw up, then passed out on the floor. I had no idea what kind of sickness she’d gotten or where she picked it up but I was glad she was finally feeling better.
The hospital gave her a few extra days off to fully recover before she had to get back to work. I took us up to the cottage. Whisper said he would cover for us so she could go call-free for a few days.
