Everything that happened after Caleb came into my room was a blur.
It was a collection of bits and pieces that formed a jumbled mess of memories in my mind. Little fragments that I tried my best to recall as time seemed to come to a steady stop, and I felt the air leaving my lungs with every minute that passed by on the highway.
I didn't really know how I ended up in the car to go back to the same place where I'd been taken.
The same place where one of the hardest goodbyes of my entire life had taken place a day before, and now I'd find out if that goodbye had been permanent.
It was the same place to which I was now returning to that would decide how the rest of my life would turn out.
They found a body, Caleb had said and now we'd find out who it was.
Caleb sat in the back with me while Ethan drove. His hand in mine was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but nothing would help me aside from Elijah.
Knowing that he was alive and okay was the only thing I needed.
Soon enough, the familiar fields began to come into view and I found my stomach twisting more and more with every mile that we drove on.
The only thing that kept me sane the entire ride there was repeating the same words to myself over and over again until they were engraved into my mind.
Elijah was coming home.
The site came into view as Ethan pulled to a stop, and my breath caught at the destruction that lay in front of us. It was piles of rubble and glass and dirt. Even the trees that had previously been surrounding the perimeter had fallen.
The entire thing was gone.
If someone was inside when the building crumbled, there was no way they would have survived and the realization made my heart rate skyrocket.
As Caleb gripped my hand with his own and pulled me out of the car, my eyes zoned in on a few people in the distance. One of them was crouching down. I recognized Kaiden, Roman and Alastair.
"Izzy," Caleb croaked, and I startled, my gaze snapping to his. I realized I'd pulled him back by tugging on his hand subconsciously and my feet had stopped in their path.
I couldn't move.
I didn't want to see because if it was Elijah, I would break in ways that I would never be able to come back from.
That would be it for me.
There was only so much a person could take, and I couldn't do it anymore.
I was outside, but I felt like there were imaginary walls caving in around me and I was suffocating. I couldn't breathe. Caleb followed me as I stumbled back another step.
"I can't..." I choked out, my eyes filling with tears and from the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan lingering behind to wait for us. I could feel his eyes on me. "I c-can't do it. I can't go there."
Caleb took a few steps closer, his hand squeezing mine.
"I'll be with you. All of us will be," he said quietly, his own voice strained and I shook my head.
"Elijah won't," I whispered, my voice cracking. "If that's him..."
Ethan spoke up this time and my eyes whipped over to him. He was watching me with a blank expression. "I'll go."
I blinked a few times and Caleb's hand loosened around mine as we both stared at Ethan in surprise.
Ethan's gaze flickered between the two of us. "You can stay here with Izzy, I'll go check. If it's not him, I'll walk back over and then...then, I guess you'll know."
I couldn't bring myself to respond, so Caleb did for me. He must've agreed because I found myself watching Ethan's back as he walked over to where I could spot the rest.
My head was spinning as we watched Ethan finally come to a stop in front of Kaiden, and I stumbled back a few steps until my back hit the car.
Elijah was coming back home. Elijah was coming back home. Elijah was coming back home.
The words were a chant in my head.
Caleb stayed close the entire time, but he didn't say anything to comfort me because if it were true, if Ethan didn't walk back over to us...
It meant that we both had lost a brother. Caleb loved Elijah. Just as much as I did.
"Why isn't he turning around?" I croaked, trembling from head to toe as I watched Ethan speak to Kaiden. He walked over to the figure that was laying on the ground.
When I glanced over, Caleb was pale and his hand had gone limp in mine.
My heart sunk and a sob escaped my lips. "Caleb...it's h-him, isn't it? It's Elijah," I choked, and it was confirmed when I looked back over.
Ethan didn't turn around.
Kaiden put a hand on his shoulder, and even from here, I could see how Ethan stumbled a few steps like something had rocked his entire world and he couldn't find his balance.
The ringing in my ears became louder.
Mom. Dad. Sophia. Elijah.
Caleb's hand slipped away from mine and my lungs began to constrict.
I couldn't breathe.
Mom. Dad. Sophia. Elijah.
They all had left me. All of them.
"Izzy!"
Caleb's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I jerked back from the hand that was shaking my shoulder. When I looked over at Caleb, expecting to see his eyes on me, I was surprised at what I saw.
He wasn't looking at me, and I mindlessly followed his gaze to –
Ethan.
He was walking back over to us.
A gasp escaped my lips and I was moving towards him before I realized what I was doing. Ethan came to a stop when he reached me, his brows furrowed.
"It's not him?" I breathed out, trembling.
Ethan shook his head. "No, but – "
I didn't stay to listen because I was walking around him to get to Kaiden. I needed the confirmation myself. I needed to see it with my own eyes. Now, I found the air returning back to my lungs.
Before I could get far though, a hand wrapped around my upper arm and I was yanked back. I found myself staring at Ethan and his eyes were hard as he held me back.
"No. We're going home," he ordered and I frowned.
"No, I wanna see. I wanna talk to Kaiden. It's not Elijah, so that means that he's out there. He's missing, right?" But I wasn't asking, and I tried moving again, but Ethan held me back.
"Izzy, it's not Elijah that they found. But..." he trailed off and my forehead creased in confusion as he exchanged a glance with Caleb.
"But what? What is it?" I glanced over my shoulder quickly to see Kaiden staring in our direction. "Let me go. I wanna go talk to him."
When Ethan didn't make any move to let me go, I forcefully yanked my arm out of his hold and I ignored him as he started calling my name after me. His footsteps were also following me, but I quickened my pace to get to Kaiden, who was watching me arrive. The look on his face was almost – it was anxious, yet no one stopped me.
It was only when I was a few feet away from them did I notice it – the figure on the ground.
The relief at seeing that there was no way it was Elijah was immediate and overwhelming, until I saw the short hair.
It was blonde.
My footsteps halted to a slow stop and I felt Ethan stop right behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaiden begin to approach me warily, but I didn't look.
The silence was suffocating. I had to take deep breaths and count how many I took in my mind, but my stomach was turning with nausea. After a few moments, I lifted my gaze to meet Kaiden's. He was watching me with something that looked like fear or sympathy.
I didn't care.
"I'm going home. Are you coming?" I asked flatly.
Kaiden studied me for a few seconds before he gave me a single nod. "Izzy – "
I cut him off because I was already turning away to make my way back to the car.
Ethan followed wordlessly, and I could feel every pair of eyes on me, but I ignored them all. My steps were steady, and I didn't look back once.
For once, it was quiet in my head.
I thought it was strange how Sebastian looked like he had simply fallen asleep.
***
For the rest of the week, everyone treated me like I was a piece of glass who would shatter at any moment.
I felt it every second of the day.
They watched me like they were waiting for me to fall apart. Kaiden made sure he wasn't too strict, Caleb made sure he gave me space, and Ethan stayed away, but I knew he was being cautious too. They all made sure that they never said the wrong thing as if they were afraid that one word would send me spiraling.
I didn't think that was possible anymore.
The days went by in hazy blurs of monotonous events. I woke up and did the same thing every day. It was a sad routine that I was becoming used to. Nothing was exciting anymore.
I barely talked to anyone anymore, and it was still a surprise to see Mia's texts come in every morning when she asked how I was doing. Sometimes, I found the courage to respond.
I was surprised she hadn't left me too, but I thought that it would only be a matter of time with the way things were going.
These days, the only thing that got me out of bed in the morning was the possibility that Elijah was coming home.
Nothing else mattered anymore. I didn't have it in me to care.
When I couldn't take it anymore, Kaiden and I had gone to my school and decided I'd be homeschooled from now on. I'd requested it myself because being in school was unbearable.
Especially with his absence.
Sebastian and I had ended on bad terms and now he was gone.
A part of me felt lighter by knowing that I wouldn't have to face him everyday and go through realizing all over again that he'd betrayed me. That he hated me. But a part of me was grieving because I'd lost one of my best friends in the worst way possible.
At least, I'd considered him a friend, even if he never felt the same.
A part of me was also starting to accept what happened. I was beginning to realize that sometimes chapters closed without closure and there was nothing I could do about it.
After I'd seen his body, I had braced myself for the nightmares before I'd gone to bed that night. I'd expected waking up in tears and having to run to the bathroom to empty my stomach, but that never happened.
I never had any nightmares and I thought that it was because I was used to it.
Everything that happened to me wasn't surprising anymore and it didn't haunt me like it used to. Bad things continued to happen to me, and now, I expected them to keep coming.
Maybe I just wasn't meant to be happy.
Thinking that was easier than holding on to false hope and still being let down. Acceptance hurt less at the end.
It was something I was beginning to learn.
***
The search for Elijah continued as if he was missing and not dead.
No one wanted to believe he was dead.
I never asked questions because I didn't have the energy anymore, but sometimes, I would linger behind walls and listen to my brothers talk.
By doing so, I found out that Kaiden was in control of everything now because Lucas was missing. Kaiden gave all the orders to all their men, and he had access to everything. They all had to give their loyalty to him, even if it was temporary because all the authority was his now.
He'd also found out that Landon was Lucas, and it hadn't surprised him one bit. I'd been eavesdropping when Alastair had told him, and Kaiden had barely reacted. He'd never liked 'Uncle Landon' anyways, so he'd been mostly unfazed. His only reaction was cursing out Elijah for not telling him.
It made me think of the bigger secret Elijah had kept from Kaiden and my stomach turned at the very thought of Kaiden finding out now.
Finding out that your twin sister had been killed and your entire family had lied to you all these years about her death – there was only one way someone would take that.
I couldn't even allow myself to imagine of the consequences. I didn't want to think of how he would react or what would happen, so I put that all on hold.
Right now, all my focus was on Elijah.
Now that Kaiden was in control, I also learned that he had people searching in cities all over to look for Elijah or Lucas. At this point, I thought that even Will, the man who'd kidnapped me, would suffice because at least they'd have something to go off of.
I'd heard several different theories from various people about what could've happened and one of them had made me sick to my stomach.
Roman had brought it up. He'd said that there was a possibility that Elijah had been injured, and Lucas had him captured. He said that there was a possibility that he was being tortured right now, if he wasn't already dead.
It took me all day to recover from that one. I'd started picturing everything he could be going through, and it made me physically sick.
Everything was a dead end because it seemed as if everyone who'd been in that building, had disappeared into thin air. Nothing and no one had been left behind aside from Sebastian.
It didn't make sense. I didn't understand how that was possible.
The building had collapsed. After I'd come out, Ethan had told me that himself; only ten minutes remained until the explosives would go off.
We'd left before then, but how could people disappear that quickly?
If I hadn't gone to the site myself, I would have thought that maybe it never collapsed. Maybe the building remained intact, but I'd seen it with my own eyes.
There was always activity at my house these days. I'd gotten used to seeing unfamiliar faces coming and going throughout the days because they had business with Kaiden. Most of it involved Elijah, but I heard snippets of other conversations too that I never stayed too long to listen to because of what they involved. As soon as I heard anything about drugs, cash, rivals, guns, deals, or anything related to that part of their world, I would leave.
I wasn't a part of it and I refused to ever be.
If I wasn't listening to everything going on inside my house, I was preparing for one day.
Elijah's birthday.
It was tomorrow.
No one cared much about birthdays in my home except me. I'd plan everything and I would make most of the efforts because with so much death surrounding my family, I felt like we all needed days where we could celebrate the opposite. Days where we could be happy.
Even if we had to fake it.
I was planning for Elijah's birthday as if he was going to be home. A part of me even wished for a miracle.
Maybe tomorrow would be the day he came home. It was something I wanted to believe with my entire heart, but I was afraid.
I was afraid of being let down again.
I was in the kitchen making cupcakes because it was something I forced everyone to have on every holiday or special occasion that arrived, when the doorbell rang.
I didn't bother getting it because I figured it had to do with Kaiden, but Caleb came into the kitchen and I paused in the middle of mixing. I noticed how he froze as he took in what I was doing, and the realization settled in.
"Amina's here to see you," he said quietly and left after offering me a small, forced smile. I blinked in surprise after his retreating form and shuffled out of the kitchen.
When I walked into the living room, Amina was sitting on one of the couches and she seemed lost in thought as she fiddled with her phone.
She looked up when I came in and stood up, smiling gently. "Hey, Izzy."
I pretended not to notice the way her smile dimmed when she took in my condition. I knew I looked as bad as I felt, but I didn't care.
"Hi," I mumbled, taking a seat next to her. "What are you doing here?"
She studied me for a few moments before she replied. "I wanted to check up on you. I haven't heard from you in a while."
I didn't respond and my gaze drifted to the TV. It was off, but I didn't want to look at her and see the pity that I thought would be in her eyes.
She continued in a weak voice. "I heard."
"How?" I asked quietly.
"Kaiden told me." I nodded briefly, and brought one of the pillows behind me to let it rest on my lap. I focused on pulling some of its strings instead of looking at Amina. She began again. "And I remembered something."
I looked up, frowning. "What?"
"Elijah's birthday is tomorrow, and I thought you could use some help," she offered, and it was phased more like a question.
"You remembered?" I whispered.
Amina raised an eyebrow. "Of course I do. Don't you remember? I used to come over and help you and Sophia on birthdays and I know you well enough to know that you're still doing it."
I bit the corner of my lip, watching her in thought. "I thought you hated Elijah. You told me he's the reason you can't leave," I added warily.
I almost felt bad for suspecting her. For questioning her intentions but I couldn't help it.
I didn't think Amina knew about Lucas and how my family never had a choice in a lot of the things they did, so she still had no reason to not hate Elijah.
Amina didn't seem surprised by my question. "I don't hate him. I'm not exactly a fan, but I thought you could use someone to help out. To be here," she added and my throat closed up.
Amina stayed silent as she waited for my answer and I eventually nodded. "Okay. I guess I can use some help," I paused as I remembered something. "Oh, and Amina? I found out some things about Sophia. I'll tell you later. Somewhere else."
Her gaze flickered behind me to before she nodded. "That can wait. We can talk Sunday or next week."
I agreed and she set her things down before following me to the kitchen.
We spent the next half hour baking. She helped me with the cupcakes and I made brownies because I needed the distraction, so I made as much as possible. Amina jumped from topic to topic, and I was glad for that.
It was at the end when we had made everything possible did I muster up the courage to ask.
"Amina?"
She looked up from her phone. "Hm?"
I swallowed hard. "Can you take me to the store?"
Her brows furrowed, but she nodded. "Yeah, now?"
"Um, yeah," I croaked, walking towards the door. "I wanna get him a gift."
Just in case he came back.
Those were the unspoken words that hung in the silence of the air afterwards. Amina didn't ask any other questions as we both got into her car and she began driving.
***
I came out of the store holding a cake and a small gift bag.
I'd originally only planned getting the gift that I had in mind, but I caught sight of a cake that I liked and I was grabbing it before I realized what I was doing. At the last second, I'd bought candles too.
Amina and I both stayed quiet on the ride back to my house, but it was comfortable. When she pulled up back into my driveway, I noticed how all the others unfamiliar cars that had been parked there all day were gone. I lingered in hers, not finding the courage to go back in.
"Izzy," Amina stopped me right before I exited her car. I paused and glanced over at her in question.
She tapped her fingers on her steering wheel as she gathered her thoughts. "I know you've been going through a lot," she began quietly and I froze. "And not just now. Your whole life."
I didn't say anything, not knowing where she was going with this.
Amina held my gaze. "And you don't have to talk to me about anything else except Sophia and what we're doing if you don't want to, but I just – I've been where you are and I have someone who can help you. She's helped me a lot."
My heart sunk. I nodded for her to continue as my hand clenched around the door handle, and I hoped she couldn't tell that it was trembling.
"You remember Mariam?" She asked quietly and I nodded, thinking of Amina's older sister. She used to come over with Amina sometimes. I hadn't seen her in years.
"I don't know if you know this or if I've mentioned it before, but she's a trauma psychologist. She mostly works with children. I know you've met her before, but she's still mostly a stranger to you, so it might be easier if you ever want someone to talk to. She wouldn't tell me anything and I think you'd love her."
I was speechless.
She reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing once. I blinked, my eyes drifting down. "You don't need to decide now. I didn't tell your brothers because it's up to you, but if they too ever want anyone to talk to, she would gladly see them. Just give me a call and I'll text you Mariam's number, or I can set it up. It wouldn't cost anything."
My throat closed up. "I-I'll think about it," I managed to get out and she nodded, letting go of my hand.
"I'll see you later, Izzy," Amina said and I hesitated another second before I stepped out of the car.
Grabbing my things, I lingered in the passenger side doorway and Amina glanced over at me when she noticed I still hadn't left.
"Thank you," I whispered.
I hoped she realized that I was more grateful than I could put into words.
Amina smiled. "Just let me know if you decide so I can let her know, okay?"
I watched her car drive away and despite everything, something felt lighter. A part of me felt relieved because it was nice knowing that I had someone who cared for me who wasn't exactly family. Amina was five years older than me, but she never made me feel like that made me inferior like so many others did simply because of my age.
In a way, she felt like my friend.
It was nice knowing that I wasn't entirely alone.
***
I stayed up until midnight.
I was sitting downstairs alone in the living room, my attention shifting between the clock and the window.
A part of me was hoping for it. For Elijah to show up when the clock hit midnight and some miracle to happen where everything would work out and he'd be here for his birthday.
I waited and waited because I had nothing else to do, and I was still waiting when eleven o'clock turned to midnight, and there was still nothing but empty silence in the house.
Wherever Elijah was, he'd just turned twenty-five.
I wondered if I was the first one to think of him. The first one to wish him a happy birthday even if he wasn't here with me.
It was the first time in my entire life where I didn't get to wish him in person.
I was still downstairs and it was just after midnight when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I glanced over to see Kaiden pause at the bottom of the steps as he caught sight of me. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to his wrists. He looked stressed, as if he'd been working all day and night. I'd heard movement upstairs, so I knew that he had just finished working from Elijah's study.
I was sitting in the dark, but I could still see the way his expression changed when he saw me sitting alone with the blinds open.
"I figured you'd be here," he murmured and I stayed silent as he walked over to where I was.
My eyes followed his hand as he held it out for me to take, but I stayed unmoving. He wanted me to go upstairs and go to sleep, I knew it already.
Kaiden sighed and crouched down in front of me, so we were eye level now. He rested his hands on my knees. "Izzy, you need to go to sleep, love. I haven't said anything all week, but you can't wait like this forever."
"I'm not," I bit back harshly, pushing his hands away from me. "I just wanna wait a little while longer. There's nothing wrong with that since all of you seem to have given up."
Kaiden grabbed both of my hands when I tried pulling away, and his hold was too tight for me to get free from. "We didn't give up."
"It seems like you did," I shot back, my voice breaking. Kaiden frowned and reached over to turn on the lamp. He took a seat right next to me, but kept my hands in his. "You've had all week and we still don't know if he's missing or if he's..."
"That doesn't mean we've given up," he replied gently. "Izzy, hey, look at me."
I reluctantly did.
Kaiden waited until I was looking at him to speak, and I saw nothing but firmness in his eyes. "I can't promise that Elijah's okay. I can't promise that he's just missing or that he's going to come back today or tomorrow or even next week. I don't know any of that, but what I can promise you is that we're never going to give up. Until something is confirmed and I see him with my own eyes, we'll never stop looking for him. Even if it takes years."
Years.
The thought made my eyes fill with tears and I had to look away as I nodded.
"I feel like you're distant," he suddenly admitted, breaking the silence. "With me. For weeks, you've been distant."
I glanced over at him, but didn't say anything.
Kaiden continued. "Not that you don't have every right to be. I know I haven't been the best brother these days."
"You're right," I blurted out, not being able to resist. As much as I wanted to let everything go, I couldn't. "You haven't been."
Kaiden went silent, so I continued. "And I know I've been distant. But that's because I'm protecting myself before you get the chance to lash out at me again whenever you feel like it."
I said the words harshly, and I knew that they hurt him, but I couldn't bring myself to care.
I deserved to have a chance to express how I felt. The things he'd said to me in the past were hurtful, and he needed to know that it wasn't okay. I couldn't keep taking all of it and I couldn't let it go.
I took a deep breath. "Kaiden, I know you're angry and hurt because of everything that's happened to you and us. I know that you miss her a lot. Trust me, I know. But you can't keep using that as an excuse to take it out on others. It's not fair to me or anyone else. I never said anything before, but you always say you won't do it again and then you do. You say hurtful things and do hurtful things in this family, and I can't keep pretending like nothing happened," I told him quietly and I could feel his eyes on me as he listened. "And I know you're sorry. I really do believe you when you say you are. But that can't work forever if you can't change. It's losing its meaning."
Kaiden drew in a long breath and I knew he was stunned by what I'd said. I figured it was mostly because he expected screaming and yelling and tears like I'd done with Elijah, but none of that happened.
I told him how I felt quietly, and it seemed to have more of an effect.
I figured he wasn't going to say anything in response, but he did and it took me by surprise.
"I never realize what I'm doing until it's too late," he admitted and I glanced over at him to see him looking out the same window I was. He avoided my gaze. "I know that's not an excuse, but every time I think I'm doing better, something happens again and I fuck up."
"You can get help," I offered quietly, remembering what Amina had told me and he looked over at me. "There's people who can help you. I think I'm going to see someone, too."
It was a decision that I'd made on the spot, but I realized I needed it.
I needed someone else to talk to. Someone away from all of this who could help me because I couldn't do it all by myself anymore.
Kaiden's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Who?"
"Amina's sister," I told him and he nodded in understanding. He knew who she was already. "Amina said that Mariam could help me. Maybe you can talk to her, too."
Kaiden tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear and smiled. "That's good, Izzy. I'm glad that you'll have someone to talk to."
I noticed how he didn't acknowledge the part where I told him that he could use the support too, but I didn't push.
He needed to realize it himself.
"I, um, I got Elijah a cake," I mumbled, cutting the comfortable silence that had followed. "It's his birthday and I thought that if he came back..."
I didn't need to finish the rest of my sentence because Kaiden seemed to know what I was getting at.
"We'll cut it tomorrow," he said, his voice gentle and I looked up at him. He smiled, but there was exhaustion lacing it. "Whatever you want, we'll do."
I nodded again. "Okay. I'll go to sleep, then," I finally gave in, and stood up. "Are you staying up?"
Kaiden ran a hand through his hair and leaned back. "I don't know. There's still some things I have to do, but you can head up."
When I hesitated, Kaiden finally realized what I was afraid of. He stood up and I stared back at him wordlessly as he reached out for me.
"I'm not going anywhere, Izzy," he said quietly, his eyes hard as if he was making sure I didn't doubt him. "I promise. I'll be here all night," he added when I still didn't make any move to go.
I took a deep breath and gave in with a nod. He was taken by surprise when I launched forward and wrapped my arms around him, pressing my face into his chest. Kaiden recovered and his arms came around my back as hugged me back for a few seconds, before he pulled away first.
"Go to sleep," he ordered, gently turning me around and pushing me forward a few steps towards the stairs. I rolled my eyes, but started moving.
"Good night. Love you," I called out behind me and he muttered a reply, but I was already upstairs when I heard it.
That night, I fell asleep with one thought forming in my mind. One promise that I made to myself because Kaiden was right, I couldn't keep going like this.
So, I made the decision.
Maybe tomorrow would be the day Elijah would return. It would be the last day I'd hold out hope. And if it wasn't the day, then I would start moving towards acceptance instead of spending the rest of my days in waiting because I needed to start putting myself first.
***
We cut the cake the following day.
Even Ethan stayed around for it and I briefly wondered if he was forced to by Kaiden or Caleb, or if he did it for me because I was starting to see that maybe he cared.
He just showed it in his own ways.
No one noticed me as I put Elijah's gift inside his room, and left without touching anything else.
I'd leave it there because it was a step towards acceptance. I didn't want to look at it everyday, wondering if I'd ever get to give it to him.
Afterwards, Kaiden went back to work upstairs, and I could do nothing but watch as more unfamiliar faces started to show up at our house to work with Kaiden. I was starting to get used to them and I even learned some of their names even though they barely paid any attention to me.
Caleb stayed with me for most of the day, and Ethan had left the house for the night, but I didn't know where.
I tried to pay attention to Caleb because he'd been trying to keep me distracted for the rest of the night, but in reality, I was preparing myself to accept it by the end of the night.
To accept that Elijah wasn't coming back and I needed to stop spending my days waiting around doing nothing. The hope was killing me, and I didn't want to do it anymore.
Maybe it would just be me, Kaiden, Ethan and Caleb from now on.
It was almost one in the morning and everyone who'd been working with Kaiden throughout the day had left. It was only the four of us now, and Ethan had returned home about an hour ago. Kaiden and I were in the kitchen cleaning up, while Caleb and Ethan were upstairs when it happened.
There was a knock at the front door.
I halted in the middle of putting away food in the fridge, and Kaiden tensed, his gaze drifting over to the clock.
Who would be here at this time? I didn't voice my question because he was probably thinking the same thing.
"Stay here," Kaiden ordered. Without glancing back at me, he walked out of the kitchen.
I followed anyways.
Caleb and Ethan came down, their attention drifting from me to Kaiden who'd reached the door by now. They walked over so that they could stand by me.
Kaiden hesitated before pulling open the door, and I stumbled back a few steps as the person finally came into sight.
Ethan immediately moved in front of me and my breath caught in horror.
Lucas smirked.
My eyes zoned in on the gun he was holding in his right hand as he leaned against the doorframe. His gaze drifted straight past Kaiden until it landed on me.
He smiled, "You didn't think that you could get rid of me that easily, did you, Isabella?"
***