Diana Hargrove has gone through enough tragedy for three lifetimes, yet she still has an affirming smile on her face. She's lived and travelled all over the world, but the last straw that broke the camel's back, brought her back to her hometown, Cre...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 | 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮
"Go to sleep, mio angelo," mom whispered in my ear.
Mom has been sitting in my bed every night since we had our talk three days ago. She's been adamant on making sure I don't go to sleep crying. It's been difficult, but she talks me through my breaths before my eyelids begin getting heavy. Mom needs me to understand that she loves me and nothing in this world could ever change that.
For the past three days, I haven't been able to process what my mom told me.
She knew that I killed Devyn.
She can actually look in the eye and say that I didn't kill her daughter. My sister.
I couldn't comprehend how she didn't blame me for anything that happened. Nothing about my life made sense anymore. Truly, everything in my life is so convoluted at the moment.
Mom hasn't brought up the conversation we had. On Monday, we talked about the day Devyn died and my feelings for Jayden for hours. On Friday, she's comfortably rubbing my back and kissing the top of my head.
"I can't sleep," I murmured.
"Close your eyes and try to control your breathing," mom said.
I feel like a scared little girl again. The same little girl that cried herself to sleep and avoided all contact with her parents. After Devyn's death, the thought of being alone scared me more than death itself. Then, my parents took me away from Crescent Heights and I'd never felt more alone in my life. I'd hide away, hide my tears, and never let my parents see me cry.
I'm a scared little girl again.
The same little girl who couldn't go to sleep without seeing my sister's dead body whenever I closed my eyes.
"Let yourself relax."
At first, I thought telling my mom the truth about that night would be the relief I needed to no longer feel guilty. However, it's the exact opposite. I don't feel any relief with having my secret out in the open.
"Buona notte, mamma," I mumbled, halfway to falling asleep.
The only happy outcome from this is that I'm glad my mom still loves me. I feared that she'd hate me and want me out of her life forever. My mom lost one daughter. She lost her and didn't get the chance to say goodbye. It's not my place to allow my mother to lose her only other child.
[ ]
"Diana! Sbrigati!" Nonna shouted from downstairs.
"I'm hurrying!" I shouted back.
"Go faster!"
"A person can only move so fast!" I shouted in their direction. "Try moving as fast as me when you're my age."
