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CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Sebastian
Iknow the second she walks up because the emptiness that had consumed me since I stormed away from that family room lessens.
But I don’t move or look up to confirm what I already know.
It’s like my entire body has given up.
All my fight, my anger… everything has drained out of me, leaving me nothing but a shell of the person I usually am.
How is any of this fair?
How?
We’ve already lost so much. How can all this shit happen to just one family?
Sophia and Zoe don’t deserve any of it.
Me, on the other hand… after all the shit I’ve done, I more than deserve the pain.
Stella lowers herself to the bench beside me and wraps her arms around my waist.
“Hey,” she whispers, pressing her lips to my shoulder.
Blowing out a slow breath, I sit up a little and glance over at her.
“Shit,” I gasp, taking in the expression on her face. “Did—”
“I-I… the doctor said—”
“Fuck. Fuck,” I bark, my palm colliding with the seat of the wooden bench, anything to cause some physical pain to make the one inside my chest that bit easier to bear.
I push to stand in my need to flee once more, but Stella’s hand wraps around my arm and she holds me with everything she’s got to stop me moving.
“Baby, I need—”
“No,” she snaps, slamming her palm down on my chest and forcing me to sit back.
“What are you—”
Shock cuts my words off as she climbs onto my lap, straddling me, and takes my face in her hands.
“Don’t run from me, Seb. I’m right here. Whatever you need.” She leans forward, pressing her brow against mine. “I’m right here,” she repeats.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into my body, holding her tight as I release a shaky breath.
She presses a kiss to my neck, her warmth and support spreading through me.
We stay silent as the seconds and minutes tick by, and she makes no move to try to get out of my tight embrace. She just does exactly as she said she would. She’s here. And she’s not letting go.
“We should probably go back up,” I say eventually.
In all honesty, it’s the last thing I want to do. I’d much prefer to just walk away from this hospital and forget any of this happened.
But I can’t.
I can’t do that to my sisters. They’ve been there, stood by my side, for my entire life. It’s time I returned that favour and was there for them.
