Not Me ~ A Hamliza Mystery

Epilogue

TW: mention of miscarriage, abusive relationship, suicidal thoughts

Eliza sat in the backyard of her new house. Her new life started and she felt like a weight had been lifted. She missed her late husband, but found comfort in her baby boy, Philip. He was turning 4 soon.

She sat in a lawn chair, watching her son run around the backyard with the man he called his father. The sun set behind them as the night began to get dark.

"Lovelies! Time for bed!" She called and stood up, grabbing her wine glass from the table beside her. She heard 2 groans. 1 from her son, which she expected. The other from her boyfriend.

She laughed and brought everything inside, placing them where they should be. Her boyfriend came in with Pip on his shoulders. Her kissed Eliza's head then leaned down so Pip could do the same.

She smiled and locked the doors as she made her way upstairs with her little family. Her boyfriend put Pip to bed while she got ready herself.

She laughed lightly as she watched her boyfriend walk into the room, humming softly as he picked her up and spun her around. She squealed and clung to him, much happier than she had been only a couple years before. He was her saving grace.

He placed her on the bed and crawled in beside her, pulling the large duvet cover over the two of them and pulling her close. She let out a sigh in relief as she laid there in his embrace, waiting for the nightly awakening of Pip who came into their room to snuggle until he fell asleep.

She knew she shouldn't let him but how could she say no? She wanted to soak up every minute of his childhood because just like that- he could be gone...

Eliza woke up realizing it was her imagination again. Yes, it had been nearly 5 years since her husband died, but she didn't have a son. She lost that baby too due to the stress. And her new boyfriend? Not the good kind.

She pushed herself out of bed and silently made her way to the bathroom, grabbing her medication off the counter. 1 pill was all she needed. Just 1 would get her through the day. And coffee, of course.

She silently opened the container and took her pill. She put it back, then grabbed it again. What was she doing? She couldn't do it. She put it back again.

She heard her boyfriend get up. She rolled her eyes. The evil man she told she loved wasn't any better than John Laurens or Francis Kinloch. He was just another reason she didn't want to be on the earth anymore.

She would rather be in heaven, with her 5 kids and her husband. They would all be happier there. They would be better there. They would be together again.

She sat on the bathroom floor thinking about it. She wondered if her babies were in heaven. If Alex was there, waiting for her. If Alex played with the kids, teaching them knew things... she wanted to be apart of it.

She grabbed the bottle again. But what would happen if she stayed. She could turn her life around. She could have that life she dreamed about at night. She could get away from her boyfriend, stay with Angelica until she was better.

She could go to therapy, she could get a better house, a better job. Everything would be better if she stayed. She had the motive. She had the plan. She just needed someone to believe in her.

Angelica was busy, her husband was dead, her boyfriend was an asshole, who would believe in her? Who would give her reason to stay? Even if she got pregnant again, she would get depressed at the thought of losing a kid again.

She sighed, putting the bottle back on the shelf and going to her room, packing her clothes and clutter. Her boyfriend left for work without saying goodbye, as usual. She could pack and leave before noon. Without another word. She would make her life better.

And she did.

The End