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Melting into her motherly embrace, I hug her back and lay my head on her shoulder—like I used to when I was a child—and let myself cry.
“I love her.”
“I know you do.” She rubs my back. “You’re both caught in a storm right now, and as much as you want to hold on to her, the tighter you grip, the more it will hurt her. This storm will pass, I promise you. The sky will become clear and you will find your way back to each other again.”
“How can you be so sure?” I ask, and she pulls back, looking at me intently.
“Because when you set the other half of your soul free, one way or another, it will always come back to you.”
ChapterThirty-One
AVA
Itrace my fingernail over the crack in the lens, feeling the ridges in the glass, then slowly fold the temples closed. I really need to give these back to Mason. I don’t know why I’m still holding on to them. Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment, but for some reason, I can’t seem to force myself to part with them.
I haven’t seen or heard from him in a few days, and the feeling is bittersweet. While his absence gives me a chance to take a breath, I miss him.
I really miss him.
Walking over to my dresser, I place the glasses down on top of it, then head over to the full-length mirror on my closet door and smooth down my dress.
It’s prom night.
Lyndsey and Cadence dragged me around the mall for five hours, searching for the perfect prom dress, and even though I’m not exactly in the spirit, I do feel pretty.
The pale-pink strapless dress hugs my curves and fans out slightly from the waist, reaching the floor. There are diamantés on the bodice, and my hair is pinned back into a messy chignon bun.
I hear a light tapping on my bedroom door before it opens slowly, and my mother pokes her head in through the crack.
“Hey, Mom.” I turn to greet her.
She walks in, holding a package in her hand, holding it out to me. “This came for you today.”
“Thanks,” I reply, taking it from her then heading over to my bed to sit down. I place the package beside me, and she follows, sitting down next to me.
“How are you feeling?” she asks, placing her trembling hands on her lap, and I frown at the sight.
“Mom, your hands—”
“I know,” she interrupts me. “I haven’t had a drink today. I will have a glass of wine soon, but I’m trying to cut down.”
Clasping her hands together to try and get some control over the trembling, I take in her appearance. She is wearing a pair of black slacks and a blue T-shirt. Her usual meticulously styled hair is thrown up into a messy bun. Her sunken eyes and pale makeup-free face reveal her weariness. Even throughout her years of drinking, she was always a stickler for appearance. I have never seen her like this, and my gut churns in worry.
“Mom—”
“I know, Ava,” she interrupts me again. “I-I’m going to get help.”
My eyes widen. “You are?”
“It’s time. I’m going to that treatment facility in California. I leave the day after you graduate and will be gone for three months. I’m sorry I won’t be here for the summer.”
“Don’t worry about that, Mom. I want you to do this. I will be fine and Dakota will be here.”
My sister Dakota is coming home with her boyfriend Joshua for the summer and knowing that she will be here has given me a bit of hope that maybe I will make it through this. My big sister has always been my lifeline, and I’ve missed her terribly since she’s been away at college.
Her eyes glaze over, and she looks away. “I know you will. You haven’t had a choice but to be fine. I know I’ve been a terrible mother to you. The last six years have been a blur, but I still remember some parts, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am for everything I’ve put you through.”
“Mom, it’s okay.”
