Rancorous

Chapter 32

PRESENT

Brevin

I wake up, the warmth of Coval's body in my arms reminding of me of what happened last night. What I'd done. A heavy weight settles over me and my heart throbs painfully. Images of Coval's tear-stricken eyes and the pain she let out lingers through my mind. I hold her tighter without even thinking. Tears accumulate in my eyes and I force them shut.

This is what I wanted all along. And yet, I still feel empty. Maybe, even worse.

I regard her.

Coval looks so peaceful asleep, but her eyebrows are pulled together. Like she's dreaming of something distressing. I run my thumb in between her eyebrows before I can question my actions to smooth the stress and she seems to find alleviation at my gesture.

I glance at the clock on her bedside. 6:02 am.

My private plane will be departing in the next hour and a half.

My gaze wanders across her room. I blink, wondering if my eyes are deceiving me. Is that the sunrise painting I gifted her?

I go back to look at Coval as my thumb continues to caress her rosy cheeks. Refraining from also running my thumb across her bottom lip proves to be incredibly difficult as remembrance tempts me. The softness of them, the way they perfectly molded to the shape of my own lips.

A thought begins pouring in my mind.

Mrs. Imani told me that she wrote me more letters than just one. Coval even admitted to it last night in the midst of her tears.

Could it be true?

Gently and carefully, I get up from the bed and make sure Coval is still asleep. Having her so close to my chest, her body heat seeping through me, reaching my heart. Now, my arms feel useless, my body losing and missing her warmth. And it's like my heart dissipates the heat and freezes ice cold.

I watch as she shifts a little at the loss of my contact, but remains lost in her dreams.

"She wrote you a letter everyday after school, and on the weekends as well. She did so for a whole year and 2 days. And you returned all of them."

"I wrote you so many letters, and you sent them back."

My chest feels deprived of oxygen and I inhale a sharp breath. I rub my face in frustration and confusion. I pause my hands halfway down my face, my gaze remaining unblinking as I turn to my left.

Her closet.

I open the doors, walk in, and flick the light on. Her clothes are neatly hanged and organized by tops and bottoms the same way they were when she was younger. Her shoes are arranged with their respective pairs on the ground.

I run my hands on the shelves above the clothing racks and find nothing but dust on my fingers.

Then, I recall how Coval always kept her most prized possessions at the bottom behind all her shoes. She used to hide her favorite legos there when her cousins came over to play.

I kneel down and reach behind her shoes. I frown when I can't find anything, until my fingers hit a rectangular hard object. Gripping it, I bring it out into the light.

It's a wooden box. My heart begins to thump so harshly, I wonder if Coval could potentially wake up from hearing it. I absentmindedly hold my breath as I open it, thankful that it doesn't have a lock and key.

Envelopes.

With my name on them, written by Coval.

I pick up the first one, shaking.