CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
| emma’s pov |
“Get some sleep, Emma. You haven’t slept at all,” my mom advised, combing my brown hair with her fingers.
I shook my head firmly. “No, I want to be with dad. Before he… before he…” I couldn’t finish my sentence as I held onto my mother for support.
I only had my mother left.
I lost Luke. I lost my father.
I couldn’t take what was happening anymore. Maybe it is best if I leave. I’ll leave with my mother, and we’d turn over a new leaf. We’d have a new life. We’ll be happy… someday.
She hugged me tightly and placed a kiss on the top of my head. “He loves you so much, never forget that.” She let go of me and gave me one more consoling smile before going to the other guests.
“Dear, I came as soon as I heard,” Liz said, embracing me. “I’m sorry for your terrible loss.”
I tried to give her at least a tightlipped smile, but I couldn’t. I wanted to burst into tears, but I couldn’t either. It was like I was drained of all happiness and sadness. My fears were lost, too.
All I am is empty.
But I felt a tinge of worry, still.
“Thank you, Liz. I… I don’t know what to do anymore,” I confessed, laying my head on her shoulder. “Where… where’s Luke?”
Pulling away, she placed something on my lap. They were stacks of envelopes. They looked like letters, and I was momentarily perplexed. What were these for?
“That’s another reason why I’m here.” That’s when I noticed how swollen her eyes were. She was crying, wasn’t she? “He’s missing. After you visited, his room was empty when I went to check on him. All his things were there. All… all I found were these letters. They were addressed to you. He made one for me, and he specifically told me to give these to you.”
My hands’ grasp on my black dress loosened. “Mi-missing?”
“He disappeared, Emma. He told me to not look for him… but I can’t just do that. I… I’m trying to look everywhere for him. Even if that means I have to go around the world and back,” she said, determined. “But if there’s one thing I do know… he loves you, Emma. He really does.”
I held the letters near me, scared of losing them. “I love him, too. So much that it hurts sometimes.” I gave a dry and soulless laugh at what I just said. It was the painful truth.
She sadly smiled and squeezed me tight in her arms again. “Thank you, Emma. For loving my son, even though he’s not as affectionate or outspoken as you'd probably want a boy to be."
“That’s what I loved him for.” I rubbed her back, comforting her, to the best of my ability.
“I’d love to have you as my daughter,” she stated, sniffling. “But before that... I just want him back, you know?”
“I promise I’ll find him, Liz. I’ll bring him back.”