Inheritance

Chapter 44

"Obviously, I still have feelings for you, Sasha. And, if I'm being honest, it sucks that we never really got the opportunity to see where things could go. To answer your question, I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm ready to be friends just yet." He concluded, though I got the feeling he had a lot more to say.

"There's actually something I've been wanting to tell you." He spoke again, after a brief pause. However, when his expression morphed into one of condemnation, my defensive walls immediately went up.

"Of course, what's wrong?" I asked, slowly removing my hand from his. Despite trying my absolute best to remain calm, silent alarms began to set off in my head.

"Well-it's about your family. The truth is, I really need to get this off my chest."

"Yes, what is it?" I probed, hoping that whatever he said next wasn't as bad as it sounded. 

"Elise Milton. You know who that is, right?" He spoke cautiously, staring so fervidly into my eyes that I had to temporarily look away.

Elise was my uncle's late wife. Of course, I knew who she was.

"Yes, I do..." I replied, curiosity and impatience peaking through my tone.

"I want to tell you something and all I ask is that you just give me an honest chance to get everything out." He looked at me unabatedly, waiting for my approval. When I nodded, he continued.

"Ten years ago, August 7th, 2013. That...was the day my younger brother passed away. He had just turned sixteen and we had gone out to celebrate. That night, after leaving his favorite restaurant, he begged me to let him drive us home." He stopped talking, trying to compose himself but his voice gave him away. It involuntarily cracked and, from then, I knew that whatever emotions he was keeping contained were struggling to escape their confinement.

"He kept begging and begging me, and I kept telling him no. I knew it was wrong-he didn't have a license and I didn't feel comfortable. But...he just wouldn't stop. So, against my better judgement, I eventually caved in and let him take the wheel. At that time, I was driving a Ford F-150." 

In my mind, I tried to imagine the perplexing image of a sixteen-year-old boy driving such a mountainous vehicle with little experience. My stomach churned, while I wondered where Caleb was going with this story.

"At first, everything was fine. But-but, you know, the rain came out of nowhere. It was hailing down hard on us, and I could see it-even now, I still see how nervous he was. I told him to pull over, but he insisted that he wanted to keep driving because we were right around the corner from my parents' house."

My hand went to his, after realizing that he was trembling. "Take your time, Caleb. I'm right here."

"He was doing good, he really was. But, when we got to the last street light, he thought he could make it past the change from orange to red. But, the light turned red quicker than he'd anticipated and he was late to break. The truck, i-it slid a few inches and before I could wrap my mind around what had happened, we crashed into a small sedan passing by with a woman behind the wheel."

I stilled, already beginning to piece together the information he was stalling to reveal.

"Our truck-the engine blew up instantly and I watched my brother burn alive. I couldn't save him-I was stuck. My damn foot was caught on a heavy piece of metal. As for the car he'd hit, it erupted into flames. Immediately." Tears occupied his eyes, but he carried on.

"It didn't take long for someone to pull me out of the car. I fought to stay inside, but they kept taking me farther away. The last thing I remember is my grip loosening around my brother's arm." Clearing his throat, he forced himself to look into my watering eyes.

"At the time, I was a star athlete, about to head off to college on a Division 1 football scholarship. The police protected me and, as you're aware, the only lasting damage I suffered was a heart condition."

I looked away from him, what he was telling me was too much. I was speechless. Utterly speechless. Why was he telling me this now?

"Sasha, the woman in the car, she was... Elise Milton. My brother killed her and it was all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry to you and your family... Patricia somehow found out about it. She was blackmailing me. So, that's why I was with her on Christmas." He sardonically explained, my expression souring at his words. He stopped talking and I knew he was waiting for my reaction.

"What the hell, Caleb? Did you even stop and think about how I'd feel before telling me this?" My anger heightened, as my voice began to raise. I was shaking-no fuming at his audacity.

"Sasha, I'm so sorry. I just really wanted to let you know. For such a long time, I've hated myself and-"

"You wanted me to know, so what? So, you could relieve yourself ethically and emotionally from the responsibility of the mistake you made! I lost someone important to me all because you wanted to be a 'cool' brother." I spat harshly, while I watched his demeanor crumple.

"Even worse, you knew this whole time. And you still tried to pursue me. Better yet, you met my uncle! He welcomed you into his home, Caleb. You looked him in the eye, all while knowing you took his one love away from him. Do you know how sick you have to be to do that?" I could see my words were destroying him and, in the moment, I didn't care.

"You know what, don't answer that. How about I make it easier for the both of us, I never want to see you again. Bye, Caleb." I rose from my chair, not caring about the bill or the several people now staring at the aftermath of my dramatic departure. 

I could hear him calling my name in the distance, but I didn't dare look back. Hate was a strong word. But, that's exactly how I felt about him with each passing second that I walked further away from the restaurant.