At the End of the Day

24

Chapter 24// Blue

Blue,

The first thing I want to tell you is how much I love and appreciate you. Thank you for bringing me out of my shell and taking away that loneliness that I felt before I met you. You're such a beautiful human being and I pray you tell yourself that every single day when I'm not with you. Your beauty, inside and out, brightens the world (mine especially).

You're probably wondering how I got away during the accident back in Barbados, and honestly, Blue, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I spent fifty minutes searching for you, baby, before the emergency team came. Then Cameron had told me how my father had planned on selling my sister. In the back of my head, I hated myself for not being able to save you, but I needed to help my sister. I knew what would happen as soon as I got home, hence why everyone thinks I'm still dead and that I died on the boat. Blue, I need it to stay that way. I'd love for you to tell Arabella, but as much as I love my sister, she can be a blabbermouth. (Don't tell her I said that.)

This is the massive favour I need from you, and I know I'm asking for too much, but you're the only one I trust. I need you to adopt my little sister. I need you to take care of her. I can't have Arabella being put into care. I'm sorry that it's come to this and I'm sorry for giving you such an immense responsibility. You're all she has left. She loves you very much, (I think a little more than me) trust me. I'll take care of you both. There's a check for £250,000 as well as the inheritance my mother left for Arabella. Again, I'm sorry.

I hope when this all dies down, we'll find each other again. I wanna be yours so bad, but I'm not asking you to wait for me, Blue. If you meet someone else, I'll be okay with that, because you deserve the world and I can't give you that. All I want is for you to be happy. I won't be able to stay in contact with you, so this will be the last you hear from me. Probably for a very long time.

I love you, sweetheart. Tell my bug I love her too.

Apollo

I first read that letter six months ago. After Apollo left that night, it took me three days to open up the envelope and read the last words I'd ever hear from him. In my mind, I still thought everything was just a dream, and that I'd see him again soon. But, as the months went by and the more I read the letter, the less it felt like a dream.

It's finally hit me it could be years before I see him again, or if I'll ever see him again. Because there's a huge possibility that I might not see his face again. The investigation into his father's murder is still going on, and there are no signs of them closing the case anytime soon.

When it comes to Arabella, legally, she's my daughter. Of course, I went through in adopting her, and I wouldn't have been able to of done it without my parents. They take care of her occasionally so I can continue studying at university. The two of us have created such an amazing bond, and it almost came naturally with the motherly instincts.

She still gets upset about Apollo, and the guilt eats away at me, knowing I have to lie about him being dead when I know he's very much alive. There's not a day that goes by where I don't wonder where he is, or if he's okay. I'm wondering whether he's still in the country. I miss him so much.

The only other person who knows about Apollo being alive is his best friend, Aidan. I found out that he's a bit of a tech geek. He helped his best friend leave the country. Don't ask me how. I'm assuming he helped with the change of identity. I figured out that Aidan helped Apollo leave Barbados without being detected because people would then know that Apollo was alive if he used his passport.

A lot has been playing on my mind — my future specifically. Part of me doesn't want to leave my town, just in case Apollo decides he wants to come back home, but I think I need a fresh start. So I've decided that once I've finished university, I'll be moving away with Arabella. This place has too many negative memories and I feel as though we both need a fresh start.