Sage

33

"Okay, I need a second. Harry, I need a- can you?" I place a hand on Harry's shoulder to gently pull him back so I can step in front of him. My heartbeat seemed to be shivering as I tried to swallow to catch my breath. I'm suddenly grateful that he kept the house as cold as he did because the large hoodie I hid my belly well. I try to focus on what I'm going to say, ignoring the way Elijah flickers his eyes up and down Harry's frame confusedly.

"Are you okay?" Harry takes me by surprise by mumbling as he's turning to go back into the house. Now isn't the time for him to be fucking with my emotions. He's been nothing but rude to me so far today.

"Yeah, just go," I snap.

"Fancy place," My mom comments, her hands holding her purse in front of her sharp pants suit as she looks around the long, tiled hallway. Behind them were large windows that shed the morning sun in, making me squint and inhale a sharp breath as I narrow my eyes at them.

"Eli," I ignore my mother and she rolls her eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

"How come you didn't answer your phone? We've been texting and calling all day, Ellie." He tells me, his tone in that usual older brother's sternness. "And who is he? Since when do you live on the hills with people like him?"

"Today? You just decided you were gonna wake up and drive two hours to come see me? How did you even figure out where I was?" My brows twitch together, did they go to my apartment first or did they come straight here? And if the latter, how did they know?

"The hearing for your father's church is this Tuesday. You need to come back and give a statement to the church to plead our case." My mother abruptly says, ignoring my question.

Elijah looks nervously between the two of us, already used to the tension between my mother and me and usually being the one to diffuse it when our dad couldn't. It's not like I picked fights with her, it's just that she did shit like this; showed up and surprised me without asking how I was doing, just jumping into what I needed to do for her.

"Ellie, the state's planning on demolishing it for a freakin' Target, we can't go to city council because they're all in favor. And we can't lose dad's church," He pleads.

"I'm not going back there, you don't need me speaking for a court, there's nothing I can say that you can't- what's that face for?" I furrow my brows when my mother scoffs and bitterly chuckles. Her eyes flicker to meet mine and they're just as cold and void as I remember them to be growing up. The only time they softened was for her dear favorite.

"They need to see him as a person, our best bet is to lead with wanting to continue his legacy, tug at the heartstrings,"

"And you want me to do that how?"

"I'm sure you can think of something with all the spoiling he's done to you," My mother's tone is filled with nothing but bitterness and I hate the way my heart stings and my eye twitches, threatening to spill tears.

"He didn't spoil me, he made up for the love I didn't get. And I'm not helping you. Target's a better idea anyway." I turn to Elijah, knowing that I refuse to continue this conversation. "Sorry you drove and wasted your time, my answer is no,"

"The church is in your name, Rosalie." My mother snaps like she's fed up with the entire thing. I hate her usage of my second name, the one she chose. But it seems tedious to dwell on that with the literal fucking bomb she just dropped on me.

"What?"

"He left it in your name, for whatever foolish reason, he left it to you. Not me, not your brother, or anybody else who actually gave a damn about the-"