Page 74 of Targeted By Vengeance

She shook her head. “No…no… you’re…you’re not real… I’m just…I’m literally losing my mind. Oh my god…”

I started walking towards her. “You’re not going crazy. This is real.” I set a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here.”

In one instant, she spun around in her chair, leaped up and threw her arms around me. She nearly knocked the wind out of me when our bodies collided against each other.

Still, I hugged her as tight as I could.

“Simone,” she whispered again, her voice cracking. “I…I can’t believe this. I thought…I thought you were gone. I…I was so…I was so upset. I…I didn’t know how to live without…without you.” She could barely speak between her sobs. “Where…where were you?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I replied. “I’m here now. That’s what matters.”

She pulled away to lay her hands on my face. “You’re here. You’re really here. But how? We all thought you were dead. We had a funeral. We…we tried to move on. We thought… Oh my god, we have to tell mom!” She grabbed my hand and tried to tow me towards the door. “She is going to flip when she sees you! You may not believe it, but she was a wreck when she thought -”

“Isabelle,” I said gently, remaining firm in my spot. “We can’t…we can’t tell mom.”

“What? Why not? She’ll be so glad you’re alive!”

I frowned. “Let’s sit down.” I led her to the small couch on the other side of the room.

Isabelle crossed her legs and waited patiently as I gathered the words I didn’t want to say, but knew I needed to.

“The woman I used to be…the one you knew…she is dead.”

Her brows pinched together. “No, no, she’s not; she’s right here.”

I shook my head. “I still look like her, but I’m…I’m not her. I’ve…I’ve changed a lot since I’ve been gone. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

She set her hands over mine and squeezed. “But you’re still my sister, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll always be your sister.”

“Then, why can’t we tell mom?”

The innocence in her voice reminded me of when we were younger and she’d bombard me with questions I struggled to answer. Not because I didn’t have them, but because they were hard to say aloud. “Because I’m not staying,” I replied.

“Wait, you’re not…you’re not coming back?”

I shook my head. “I just…I just wanted to see you one last time. Just so happened the right time fell on your wedding day.”

She nodded, slow tears falling from her eyes. “I’ve really missed you. I’ve…I’ve really needed you.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t…I can’t be a better sister.”

“Don’t say that. You’re the best sister I could’ve asked for. I just wished we had more time.”

“Me too.” I glanced over my shoulder at the door. “You did scare your bridal party off pretty well, so I’m thinking we’ve got enough time to touch up your makeup before they come scurrying back in.”

Isabelle smiled as I took her hand and led her back to the vanity dresser. There, we fixed the smudges from her tears as she filled me in with all the things I’ve missed. The drunken fun at her bachelorette party. The tears she shed at her final dress fitting. The family drama at her rehearsal dinner the night before. Her light, dim when she’d first seen me, grew brighter and brighter with every word. Before long, it shone in her smile and beamed behind her eyes.

“So, what’s been up with you?” Isabelle asked once she finished her stories. “I’m curious what one does after they fall off the face of the Earth.”

“I’ve been traveling a lot; meeting new people, learning new skills. And I have a boyfriend.”

Isabelle gasped. “Ooo do tell!”

“Remember my secret admirer? The one you met at the fundraising ball?”

Her jaw dropped. “Shut up! No way!”