𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬² | 𝙏𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 ✓

𝐗𝐈𝐗

Weeks earlier...

Meloria woke up freezing, wondering when her heater was turned off.

As she woke up more she could hear the slight buzzing from the machine signaling that she should still be warm.

She groaned as she sat up, feeling her husband's side of the bed colder than usual.

"Glad to see you're up." She heard a familiar voice say from the door. She looked up to see her disappeared husband standing in front of her with a cup of coffee in his hands.

He places it on her bedside table as she stares at him in shock.

"Last night wasn't a dream?" She asked quietly as he sat on the edge of the bed facing her. He placed a cold hand on her cheek, his thumb moving back and forth on her cheekbone.

Vincent shook his head, "It's not a dream Mel. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Meloria's eyes welled with tears as she looked between his eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes.

She placed both her hands on his face as she connected their foreheads. "Tobias should be coming home soon," Vincent mentions as he tucks a strand of hair behind his wife's ear. "Do you wanna tell him today?" Meloria shook her head.

"He's finally been able to settle in. I don't want to mess up the new rhythm he's made of his life yet. I want to ease him into the idea of you being back first." Vincent just nodded, understanding Meloria's worries.

Just when Vincent was going to speak, the front door opened. "Mom, I'm home!" Tobias' voice rang throughout the house. Vincent had missed the sound of his son's voice. It took everything in him to not run downstairs and embrace him in a needed father-son hug.

Meloria wiped away the last tears, "Go out through the window. I love you." She said giving him a quick kiss before heading out of the room. He stayed on the bed, listening to them speak downstairs.

"Hey- why are you crying?" He could hear Tobias ask followed by Meloria's laugh. "Bad dream but it's fine. How was your sleepover?" He could hear Tobias' heartbeat quicken at the question, worrying him.

"Just the usual. We read something and ended up falling asleep." He was lying. Vincent could hear his exhilarated heartbeat along with the sudden change in his breathing.

Meloria wouldn't be able to notice unless she was looking for it.

Meloria and Tobias stayed downstairs talking for a while longer before his wife finally came back up. Tobias locked himself in his room for the rest of the day with his art.

"I thought you were leaving." She said, fighting the smile that wanted to make its way across her face. "I finally get to be with you again, I'm not missing any more time." He says as he wraps his arms around her waist.

She leans against him comfortably, not minding how cold he felt.

She plays with his fingers as they revel in the pleasure of being back in each other's arms. Vincent had prayed and wished for the day he could walk out of the shadows and join his family once again.

And alongside those wishes he wished to never again see the woman that ruined his life. The woman that dragged him away from the ones he loves the most because of her own anger.

He can't remember much past her red eyes and the angry screams of sorrow she would let out but he knew if she ever stood in front of him, he'd know and he'd do everything in his power to get his revenge.

"What are you thinking about?" Meloria spoke, playing with the rings on his fingers. He shook his head, "Nothing." She hummed, knowing that no amount of pushing would get him to open up.

Vincent tried listening in on what his son was doing but his music was too loud. So loud he couldn't distinguish the bass from his heartbeat.

"Does he always play music so loud?" He asked, Meloria nodded. "Always has. It helps keep his mind at ease. At least that's what his therapist told me." She responded with a sigh.

"Therapy?" She nodded, "After you disappeared I fell into a really bad depressive state. I could barely take care of myself let alone little Tobias so he stared at my parents place most of the time." Vincent held her closer to him feeling terrible that he couldn't be there for her.

"I neglected him and it took a toll on his mental development. Had to take him to therapy for a while to help him through some of it." She felt like crying as she remembered those times.

She felt like a terrible mother for pushing her son away during a time that hurt them both. A time where they should've stuck together.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Mel. You came around and you tried to be there for him, you tried to get him the help me needed." She didn't want to continue on that topic. She didn't want to continue crying over the past so she leaned further into his hold as they listened to the pitter patter of the rain outside.

***
Super short chapter, I'm sorry guys.

I have little to no motivation to write this book tbh but I love this series so I want to finish it off right.

I might take a break from this book for a bit and concentrate on my other ones for a while but I will definitely try my best to finish this one off well.

I just don't want it to feel rushed and wrong and I want to stay true to the characters I have created.

Thank you to those that love this series and I will try my very best to make it as great as Soul Searching!

Love you and thank you!

-HS.*