Twisted Ties

“But it is. If it weren’t for me, you never would have had to go through that. I’m so sorry.”

“None of us realized just how sick she was. She loved you so much that it drove her crazy—literally. She kept telling me that once I was gone, you’d finally let me go and realize that you loved her back. She thought that you loved her but didn’t know it. She blamed me for the fact that you refused to love her back.”

“Maybe if I hadn’t been so cruel to her, then she would have reacted differently.”

Emma shook her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t think there was anything you or I could have done to help her. She was too far gone, lost in her own mind. It didn’t matter what I told her. She refused to listen. Whatever you said to her that night on the phone saved my life. She’d pla

“I told her that I loved her.”

Emma smiled weakly. “She obviously believed you. I just wish that I could make myself forget all of it. I’m so tired of replaying it over and over in my head.”

“Is that what your nightmares are about?” I asked.

“Sometimes, I dream about what happened. Other times, I dream about what would have happened if she’d had the time. Occasionally, it’s about her sneaking in while you’re asleep on the couch, and then she smothers me in your bed.” She shuddered. “When she knocked me out, I had a dream that you saved me, but she killed you for it. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I thought it was real. I thought that I’d lost you.”

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. Don’t worry about that. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to sleep beside you again. Maybe it will help with the dreams if I’m with you.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered.

I pulled her into my arms. It felt so good to hold her again. “We’ll get through this, Emma. I swear, we will.”

“I hope so.”

“I think you should see someone. You need to get it all out.”

“A therapist?”

I nodded. “Yeah, the doctor gave me a few names when you were in the hospital. Will you let me call one of them for you?”

She was silent for a moment. “I’ll try to talk with one of them, but I can’t promise that it’ll help.”

“I think it will. I’ll call first thing tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to hold you in my arms.”

I stood and picked her up. She smiled for the first time in weeks as I carried her to my bed and laid her down. I crawled in next to her and pulled her close. I’d missed this. I’d missed her.

Things would work out. They had to. I wouldn’t let her go without a fight.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Jesse

Three Months Later

Emma was healing. I could see the changes daily. It took a couple of weeks for her therapy sessions to start helping her, but I noticed the changes as soon as they happened. It was hard not to notice when I was watching her every move. I was terrified to let her out of my sight.

The only time I left her side was when I was in class or grocery shopping. I would make sure to stock up on enough food, so I only had to go to the store once or twice a month. Hell, I was even learning to cook a few things. It was a big change after living off of cereal most of the time.

The changes in Emma were small at first, begi

I nearly dropped my bag on my foot the day I came home to hear her talking to her dad on the phone. Up until then, she’d refused to talk to anyone. Instead, I was forced to tell them how she was doing.

Andy came over a couple of times a week for di

Valentine’s Day had been almost nonexistent in our house. In an attempt to cheer Emma up, I offered to take her out for di

Emma was meeting with her therapist three times a week. When she first started seeing him, she refused to talk about her sessions with me. I hated that. I felt like she was trying to keep me away. I didn’t want her to push me away or protect me from what was going on inside of that head of hers. I wanted her to feel like she could trust me. She finally started opening up to me a few weeks after she’d started. Even though she didn’t share much, she was still sharing. I’d take anything I could get at this point. I wasn’t picky. I just wanted in.

She decided to start going to school again. She only took a few classes, but they were enough to keep her occupied. Before then, the only time she would leave the house had been for her sessions. It was good to see her out again. I even convinced her to go watch a movie with her friend, Abby.

Emma was slowly coming back. The only thing that wasn’t healed was our relationship. I knew she was trying, but it still felt strained. I was afraid that we’d never be the same again. I didn’t want Ally to win. I wanted to show Emma how much I still loved her.

I decided to do something special for her. I’d racked my brain for days, trying to come up with an idea that would mean something to her. I wished that we were closer to the beach, so I could take her surfing. Since that was out, I had to come up with another plan. I was getting a lot better at cooking, so I decided to do a romantic di

I hurried home after class to set everything up. Emma had a late class, so it gave me enough time to make di

Everything was ready when she finally made it home. I was sitting at the table, waiting for her, when I heard her keys unlocking the door. I held my breath as I listened to her throw her bag down by the door before heading to the kitchen. I prayed that this would work. I needed this to work.

“Hey, I’m home,” she called out as she entered the kitchen. She stopped dead when she noticed the candles everywhere.

“Welcome home.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s…” What is it? A peace offering? Kind of. An attempt to show her how much I still love her? Definitely. “It’s a di

“I can see that. But why?”

I stood and walked over to her. I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer. “Because I love you. I want things to go back to the way they used to be with us.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “I don’t know what to say.”