Page 111 of My Undead Love Life

“There was nothing to fix,” I said softly.

“There was everything to fix!” he shot back. “I killed our dad⁠—”

“You protected her,” I interrupted.

He shook his head violently. “It doesn’t matter. He’s still dead, and she still hated me for it.”

“But he never hurt her again because of what you did,” I said.

Tears dripped from his eyes.

“She died knowing the truth,” I continued, quieter. “She died knowing you loved her.”

His face crumpled. “I should’ve been there for her. I don’t know why they left home. It was a fortress.”

I reached for him again. The second my hands touched him, he turned and held me. His forehead pressed into my shoulder as his body shook. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight as the first broken sob tore out of him. “I’ve got you.” I moved my hand up and down his back slowly. “I’ve got you.”

He gripped me tightly.

Beside us, Mad and Luck offered their support in silence. Mad sat close enough that his hand rested on Oxi’s shoulder, firm and steady. Luck leaned against Oxi’s other side, not saying a word, just making sure he was there.

Frank and Jan were silent across the room. I could feel them watching, but I couldn’t spare them anything yet.

Time blurred.

Eventually, Oxi’s breathing slowed. His sobs faded into uneven, shaky breaths, but he didn’t pull away.

“You did the right thing,” I whispered.

He didn’t answer, but his grip tightened slightly.

Later, we shared a can of peaches, but we barely ate more than a few bites each. No one had much of an appetite. Frank and Jan accepted a few pieces with a soft thanks. Frank looked like the food was hard to swallow. Jan kept staring at Oxi, her eyes glossy and haunted.

Oxi lay down beside me soon after, wrapping himself around me. Mad lay down on my other side, and Luck settled next to him.

The storm howled outside, rattling the walls, but inside, we were together. Not okay. Not completely safe. But together.

I thought Oxi had fallen asleep when his breathing evened out against my shoulder. Mad’s hand rested on my hip beneath the blanket. Luck’s fingers brushed mine once, a silent check-in.

Across the room, Frank whispered something to Jan.

I opened my eyes. They were sitting near the boarded window, wrapped in their blanket, their heads close together. The flashlight sat between them on the floor, its beam pointed away so the room stayed dim.

“I should’ve said something,” Jan whispered.

Frank rubbed a hand over his face. “You didn’t know.”

“I knew something was wrong.” Her voice trembled. “With Victoria. With the way she talked about him. With the way Olivia would shut down whenever Owen was mentioned.”

Oxi shifted against me, but his breathing stayed slow.

I carefully eased out from under his arm.

Mad’s eyes opened immediately. I touched his wrist to let him know I was okay, then sat up and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

Jan looked over as I moved. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I was already awake,” I assured her.