I Watched Them Love Her Chapter 22

I Watched Them Love Her Chapter 22

Nico called me almost every week.

“How are you doing?”

“Is your coursework too much?”

“Do you want me to come home this weekend and hang out?”

I accepted all of it.

And I answered every question.

“Thank you.”

“I know.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m fine.”

Every word was polite.

And distant.

Every time Mom heard my clipped responses, the light in her eyes would dim a little.

But she never said anything.

She knew they were the ones who had pushed me away.

Three years passed quickly.

The day I finished my last AP exam of senior year, I walked out of the testing center.

The New York summer air was hot and humid.

Mom, Dad, and Nico were all waiting for me outside.

Mom was the first to rush over.

“Tessa, how did it go?”

“It was fine.”

“That’s good.” She smiled, but her eyes were wet with tears. “That’s good.”

Over the past three years, she had lost a lot of weight.

Dad had more gray at his temples than before.

Nico had lost the easygoing air he used to have.

They were all trying to atone in their own ways.

But I couldn’t forget.

Every time I looked at them, I remembered my last life.

I remembered their cold, disappointed faces.

I remembered how they had chosen Chloe, again and again.

I remembered that when I finally hit the ground, there wasn’t a single person left on my side.

Some things, once broken, can never be put back together again.