Forest Lake

Chapter 27

Emma took a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes filled with tears and my will to stay where I was crumbled to fucking pieces. I closed the distance between us and pulled her into a hug.

What did that bitch do to her? Did she hurt her? Did her stepfather hurt her? Oh, I am going to fucking kill him if he touched one hair on her head!

“Emmy, please tell me what happened.” I begged her, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

“She left me alone.” Emma mumbled quietly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. I already knew that. Mom worked a lot and wasn’t at home much. The neighbor was taking care of Emma. She told me that already.

“I know that, Emmy.” I said as I pulled back to look at her. “You told me that she worked a lot and that the neighbor was taking care of you.”

“There was no neighbor.” Emma said quietly, looking at me with fear in her eyes. “That was only one time.”

My heartbeat quickened. I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw. What was she trying to tell me?

“Explain, Emma, now.” I said sternly as I sat down on her bed.

I pulled her to sit next to me. She continued to tug on the sleeves of her hoodie.

“After we left you and dad, she changed.” Emma said quietly. “She abandoned me completely. She was never at home, and I was alone all the time. It got much worse when she met my stepfather. He never wanted children, so she just pretended that I didn’t exist.”

Emma stopped talking as the first tear rolled down her cheeks. I was already so fucking angry that I wanted to burn the world down, and I had a feeling that she had more to say.

“I would go days without food because they left, and she didn’t go to the store.” Emma continued quietly, wiping the tears away. “I had to do everything alone. I had to teach myself how to do everything. She didn’t even want to help me when I got my first period. I had to google how to put on a pad.”

I was shaking from top to bottom.

“I almost died once.” Emma continued, making my heart stop beating. “I had a terrible flu and she left me alone. I was too weak to do anything, and my fever was almost 105. I was falling in and out of consciousness and I was dehydrated. The neighbor got worried when she didn’t see me go to school for a couple of days. She checked in on me and saved my life.”

I was beyond angry. This wasn’t anger. I don’t know what it was, but I’ve never felt it before.

My fists were clenched so tightly that I was sure that my bones were shattered. My jaw was so tight that my whole face ached. I could feel my fucking heartbeat in my eyes and could hear it in my fucking ears.

“The reason I came to this school is because she wanted to get rid of me.” Emma continued quietly. “They got a job in Europe, but they didn’t want to take me with them. She couldn’t leave me at home because people were getting suspicious. The principal of my old school asked about her because she missed every important school event. She got scared that he would call Child Protective Services, so she decided to send me here while she was away.”

Emma finally looked up at me. Her eyes held so much pain and sorrow, making me want to scream. I could feel a thousand knives stabbing at my heart.

“You were my first hug in nine years.” Emma said as more tears fell down her cheeks. “Nobody hugged me after you and I said goodbye nine years ago.”

She broke down after that, covering her face with her hands and sobbing quietly.

I pulled her to me immediately, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tightly. I didn’t even realize I was crying as well, until I saw a tear fall into her hair. My body felt numb and like it was screaming in pain at the same time. Was that even possible?

She was alone? Completely alone? She was hungry? She almost died?!

I almost lost her without even knowing that I hated her for no reason at all. What would have happened if the neighbor hadn’t checked on her? What if she died?

I couldn’t handle that pain. A sob broke through my lips, and I buried my head in her hair.

“I am sorry.” I sobbed as I started rocking us back and forth. “I am so fucking sorry, Emma.”

Telling her how sorry I was would never be enough. Nothing would ever be enough to make it up to her. It should have been me. I should have been the one to suffer like that, not her, never her.

I had so many fucking questions, but I couldn’t speak. The lump in my throat made it impossible. The sobs choked me and the pain in my heart made it hard to breathe.

The only thing I could do right now was to hold her as tightly as I could, trying to show her that she was not alone anymore. I would never leave her alone again. I would never let anything or anyone hurt her again.