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“What are you trying to leave behind?” Evan’s quiet murmur echoed like a church bell, a resounding clang that played on repeat.
Everything.
Because none of it made sense anymore, and it all fucking hurt, and when something hurt me, when I didn’t want to face something, I did what I did best, and I cut it out.
“You would never let your family down, would you?” I asked softly, turning to face the guy who’d shown me nothing but compassion when he could have just ignored the evidence of my pain and fucked me against a door in a random dorm room. “If they needed you, you'd be there, even if it hurt?”
My phone vibrated before he could answer, and I glanced down with a sigh.
“Hey, Liv.”
“Are you okay?” she almost yelled down the line. “I've been calling. I looked everywhere for you.”
Scrubbing my fingernails against my forehead, I said, “Yeah, I'm fine. I'm home. Just wasn't feeling it tonight.”
Evan placed a warm hand flat on my knee before giving it a light squeeze and rising to his feet.
Olivia's sigh of relief felt like a punch to the stomach. My actions and choices, they didn’t just impact me.
“You want me to come back there?” Liv asked.
“No. Don't let me spoil your night. I'm just going to watch Netflix or something.”
“Okay.” She sighed, sounding unsure. “Call if you need anything?”
“Yep.”
Standing, I ended the call and looked up at Evan. I clenched a fist and sunk my knuckles into his slim bicep with a wan smile. “Thanks for being a gentleman, Ev. Your sisters are lucky to have you.”
Unlike mine. My smile faltered.
Evan’s eyes dropped to my hand when my phone buzzed for a second time.
Rolling my eyes, I lifted it to my ear without checking the screen. “Liv, I told you I'm fine.”
“Lissy?”
My heart crashed into my lungs like waves battering a cliff face when my sister's trembling voice sounded through the phone. The last time my little hard ass sister sounded scared was back before she could recite the alphabet in full and hearing it sent a blast of panic racing through me.
“Bella?” I demanded, trying to regulate my breathing. “Are you okay? Is Mom okay?”
“Yeah, I'm—” She broke off on a small sob.
“Bells?” I gripped the phone until the bones in my hand ached. “Bells?”
“She forgot me.”
My baby sister's tiny voice spoke my biggest fear, and black filled my vision. “What?” I choked.
Could it have happened that fast? If I went back now, would my mom recognize me? Would she be gone already? Was I too fucking late?
“We went to the cinema. Mom and me. When we were leaving, I needed to go to the bathroom. There was a line, so it took a really long time. When I came back out, she was just gone. She forgot me. There were so many people, and I couldn’t find her, Lissy. She just left me there.”
When I swayed on my feet, a firm hand steadied me, lowering me to the edge of the bed.
“Where are you?” My head pounded, and I closed my eyes, my fingers going to my temple. “Are you still at the cinema? Are you alone?”
“No. Aunt Bree came to get me. But they told me about Mom, Liss. She was really upset, and... I'm scared, Lissy.”
