Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Olivia
I end the call, a call I didn’t want to get for a while, but I did. The phone still in my hand, I feel my heart pounding in my chest. The nurse's words echo in my ears.
Twenty thousand dollars. That’s the number hanging over my head now. It could go higher depending on how long they’re in the hospital, the nurse said. I told her I’d find the money, I will get it, but it would take time.
Time I don’t have. Money I don’t have.
Another thing I have to think of is more medical bills to add to the ones we already have.
I lower the phone slowly as I have it tight against my chest, my eyes landing on the treehouse.
Memories hit me like a freight train. Laughing in the summer sun, lying beside Hayden, promising things with a childish belief we’d never grow out of love. I wanted my kids to play in that treehouse, to fall in love like I did, like I still have.
“How are your parents?” Hayden’s voice pulls me out of my happy memory.
I blink, turning slightly. “No change.”
I’m not sure if he really cares or not, but it’s still nice that someone is asking me about them.
Silence stretches between us. I open my mouth, ready to ask him to take me home. I can’t stay here. I don't have my car, any clothes and all I want is a shower, but he speaks first.
“Come on, you look tired. Have a shower—”
“Will you take me home? I don’t have anything with me.” I glance toward the house, catching sight of his parents watching us through the window. The look in their eyes has the same thing which holds in my mom's eyes. Hope we'll be together again.
“You’re staying here,” he says without looking at me. “You shouldn’t be alone.”
And that’s it, no room for argument, no room for me to even say a word. He walks away, leaving me to follow, and every step behind him feels heavier than the last.
Being here, in this house, with this family, it’s a reminder of everything I ruined. I don’t have anyone else to blame.
Upstairs, he opens the door to his bedroom. I freeze in the doorway. My feet won’t move, this is his room, his bed. I shouldn’t be in here, but the scent of him wraps around me before I even cross the threshold.
Hayden turns, frowning slightly as he steps forward and takes my wrist gently, tugging me inside.
“Everything’s in the bathroom. There are clothes in there, Lileah gave me a few different things, pick what you want.
” Then he’s gone before I can say thank you, before I can ask him where he's going to sleep.
But instead, I stare at the closed bathroom door for a second before slowly moving inside.
The shower steams up quickly, and as I step under the water, it’s like something breaks loose in me.
I didn’t even know how much I needed this, the water feels like it’s washing off layers of the day, the grief, fear, guilt.
But it can’t touch the part of me that’s rotting inside.
The broken heart, which I don’t think will ever be fixed.
I come out of the shower and wrap the towel around me and look at some of the creams which Lileah has left for me. Once I get dressed I walk out of the bathroom but stop at the sight of Hayden sitting on the edge of the bed. He doesn’t look up from his phone, as he stands up and walks toward me.
“I’m going to shower. You can go to sleep after.” Without even looking at me, he walks into the bathroom behind me.
I look around the room, not much has changed, some of the posters are gone, less hockey stuff around, but it still feels like him. Then my eyes stop on the bed, and my mind thinks of every bad thing it can.
How many girls has he brought here? I shudder at the thought. I can’t do this. I can’t sleep in a bed where other girls have laid. I start gathering my clothes to leave quickly, throwing them into my bag, but stop when I hear him.
“Planning on running again?” His voice slices through me. I turn slowly, heart hammering, when I see him, see them. The scars. Faint but jagged. Knife wounds. My stomach drops.
I did that. Because of me, those scars exist.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“Yeah, well, you’re staying.” He pulls open the closet door.
“I can’t stay here—”
“Why?”
I don’t answer, mainly because I have no right to say it’s because I hate the fact you had girls in this bed, I hate the fact you had fun with them when it should have been me. Instead, I walk to his shelf, trailing my fingers over old trophies, until I stop at a wrapped present.
“Who’s this for?” I ask, not looking at him.
“It was your graduation gift. You can open it.” His voice is flat, as if the conversation is already finished. “I don’t care.”
My heart stutters. Graduation. He kept it.
I stare at it, hand trembling. Then I feel him behind me, heat against my back. I lean slightly, without meaning to, my body betraying everything my mind is screaming.
Screaming for me to not get my hopes up, screaming at me to wake up and realize he'll never forgive me.
“Open it,” he whispers.
With a shaking hand, I peel the paper away. Slowly. Carefully. Not sure why, I mean he kept it for four years. It’s not like it’s a bomb or anything. Yet I’m careful with it. When I see the box, I know what it is instantly. The Special Edition Harry Potter box set I once told him was my dream gift.
Water fills my eyes. My chest feels too tight.
“I never stopped loving you,” he whispers it against my skin and then walks away, disappearing into the hallway.
I stand there frozen my eyes locked on the gift. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. He got this before prom and kept it. All this time.
I fall to my knees, chest heaving, the tears breaking loose like a dam.
What did I do?
I had everything.
I don’t hear the door open. I don't even hear footsteps coming close. But I feel arms, warm and familiar, wrap around me.
“It’s okay,” she whispers softly, her voice velvet over the thunderstorm in my chest. Hayden’s mom.
Her embrace doesn’t falter as I crumple into her. Not knowing I needed someone to hold me like this, the sobs rip
through me again, louder. I can’t breathe. My chest stings, lungs collapsing as the weight of everything I’d done bleeds out of me.
“I’m sorry,” I stutter, my throat burning, tears falling freely. “I’m…sorry. I…I loved… I love him… I’m—sorry.”
“Shh,” she soothes, rubbing circles along my back. “Breathe, sweetheart. You need to breathe.” Her tone isn’t harsh. Not once. Even when I’m gasping, choking on my own shame and tears, her hand stays firm, grounding, she doesn’t pull away.
In her eyes, I’m not the girl who destroyed her son. I’m just a girl. A broken one. And somehow, she holds all the shattered pieces like they matter, like they’re still worth something.
Minutes pass and I’m still crying, but it’s starting to slow down. I ease back, eyes swollen, chest hollow, heart aching still.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I whisper, voice hoarse.
“I didn’t expect you to be upstairs alone, crying yourself sick,” she says, brushing my damp hair from my face. “Come downstairs, sweetheart. Everyone’s still up.”
“I can’t,” I say quickly, eyes falling to my hands. “I think it’s best I stay away from the family. No one wants me here and—”
She cuts me off with a look. “If no one wanted you here, you wouldn’t be here.”
Now that lands a hard hit in my chest, she could have lied to make me feel better but, no. It’s the truth.
“Come on,” she says, standing. “The boys are in the pool room pretending to know how to play.” She smiles at her joke, which makes a small smile appear on my lips too.
“The girls are in the kitchen eating cookies and talking about whatever it is girls talk about when boys aren’t around.
” Now I do huff a laugh, the sound brittle but real.
When I stand, she looks me over with a smile, and to my surprise, she moves the hair out of my eyes and just looks at me. No words, just a simple smile.
We walk down the stairs together and walk into the kitchen. Lileah places a mug of hot chocolate in front of me, as I reach the counter, her smile isn’t fake, it’s genuine and it makes me feel welcome.
Did Hayden say something to everyone before I came down?
I clutch the mug, my fingers warming against the ceramic, not sure if I should join the conversation or let it carry on. I still feel like I shouldn't be here.
I hear laughing coming from the other side of the room, beyond the archway, I see Hayden, Mason, Miles, and Declan gathered in the pool room. Laughing. Loud. Normal. It’s nice to see them like they used to be.
Cain and Autumn aren’t there as I look around the house for them, my glance stops at Hayden’s mom, who catches my look and chuckles.
“Cain doesn’t do family stuff,” she says. “He only comes because we make him. That man would rather face down a bear with a toothpick than sit through any family night.” She laughs, Lileah snorts, and I let myself smile for the first time in what feels like months.
“He’s gotten better since Autumn's been with him, I even saw him smile the other day.” Lileah says which makes Hayden’s mom laugh.
“Come on, let’s see what trouble the boys are getting themselves in.” She looks at me, as I sip my hot chocolate, so I don’t look worried about going in there. “No one will say anything.” Her soothing voice helps but not as much as I would like it.
I slowly follow them into the pool room quietly and stand in the corner away from everyone as they continue with their conversation and jokes.
My fingers wrap tighter around the mug, heart clenching as I see Hayden smiling, and laughing. Just like he used to, I never thought I would hear him laugh again.
I don’t know where this night is going, but for now, I’m standing in a room where the family still have love for each other.
The guys are already mid-game, shouting over each other about how one of them is cheating. Laughter fills the room, something I’ve not heard in so long, and it’s crazy how much I like it.
“Foul! You leaned over the table!” Mason snaps, pointing his cue at Miles.