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test. And he believed me.” She laughed, a
harsh, broken sound, tears welling in her eyes.
“He actually believed me!”
My heart pounded, a mixture of rage and
despair. But Sarah wasn’t finished. “Did you know? When your son died, David was relieved. He thought that with Liam gone, he could finally
have a fresh start with you!”
His idea of a new beginning was my ending.
I opened my eyes, my gaze finding David as he
entered the room, pulling Sarah away from my
bed.
“Get out!” he roared.
“David, you deserve this! You deserve
everything you get!” she shrieked.
He did deserve it. And so did I.
<
87)
After Saran en, Daviu rayeu, nis anger a chaotic storm. He tried to give me water, but I refused to take anything from him. The nurse had to help me. He watched, then tried to wipe my mouth after she left. I turned away, gazing at the snow falling outside. “It’s almost Christmas,” I murmured.
“Yes,” he said. “Tomorrow’s Christmas. We’ll celebrate together.”
I had to make it to Christmas, to see Liam.
“Chloe, I’ll cure you.” He took my hand, his thumb tracing the needle marks. “I should have known. You were so thin, your complexion so pale. How could I not have noticed you were sick?”
He hadn’t noticed. But I’d told him.
I had told him.
I’d said. “My stomach hurts. What if it’s
<
I’d said, “My stomach hurts. What if it’s
something serious?”
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He’d simply put down his chopsticks and said,
“Don’t die here. It would be bad luck.”
Now that it was something serious, did he finally believe in bad luck?
- 13.
Christmas night was always magical. The
Christmas tree in the town square, a towering green beacon adorned with twinkling lights, drew crowds of smiling faces.
I sat in the car, bundled in layers of clothing, my
hat pulled low, only my eyes visible as I watched the festive scene through the window.
It was snowing.
The snowflakes fell softly, pure and white, like
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Liam’s eyes. Smiling eyes, and sad eyes.
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I remembered another Christmas, sitting in the
car with Liam, him pointing at the Christmas
tree, exclaiming how beautiful it was. I’d followed his gaze and seen David and Sarah standing beneath it, posing for photos. I’d quickly covered Liam’s eyes.
Through the falling snow, I saw Liam, wearing a red sweater, sitting under the tree, touching the ornaments. “Mommy, it’s so pretty.”
It was pretty. But Liam’s smiling face was gone, replaced by David’s anxious expression as he pulled me close.
“Chloe.”
I was so cold. He tried to warm me, but he’d forgotten he was ice himself. “Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.
I shook my head. This distant glimpse of the
Christmas tree was enough, a silent tribute to Liam.
The snow fell harder. My strength ebbed away. David must have felt my body growing colder. He rubbed my wrists, his fingers tracing the bruises left by the needles. “Chloe, are you cold? Say something, please.”
He pressed his cheek against my forehead. His familiar scent, clean and crisp, felt distant, like a memory from another lifetime. For years, all I’d smelled on him was Sarah’s perfume.
He sat with me, watching the snow, his chin resting on my head. The car was warm and quiet, the storm raging outside. His voice, soft as the falling snow, whispered in my ear.
“Chloe, do you remember why I never explained things between us? I should have told you. I had so many chances.”
<
The snow was getting heavier. Was Liam cold?
He was always so good, so understanding, even
though his father didn’t love him, didn’t love me.
I was going to see Liam soon.
His final wish: To always be with Mommy.
My eyelids felt heavy, frosted over. I closed my
eyes. Hearing was the last sense to go. My soul
felt like it was separating from my body, but
David’s voice continued. “Chloe, if my father
hadn’t told me he wanted to marry your mother,
if he hadn’t told me to treat you like a sister…
things would have been different between us.
Don’t you think?”
“Chloe?”
“Chloe, are you cold?”
“Chloe, wait for me.”
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I wasn’t waiting for him. I was leaving him behind, going far away, never to see him again, not in this lifetime, or the next.
The sounds faded. Crying. Someone calling my
name.
The light dimmed. Expanding, contracting.
I was so tired. My eyelids too heavy to lift. I wanted to hold Liam, but all I could grasp was a shadow. I chased after it, crying, running, until I reached the end.
Gasping for breath, I finally saw him.
He held Snowball in his arms. “Mommy, you
came?”
This time, I finally caught his hand.
(The End)
