The chill in the air seeped through my sweater, and I pulled it tighter around me, curling up as I held my phone to my ear.
"How's your aunt?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Hovering," Bonnie replied, her voice heavy with exhaustion.
A sad smile tugged at my lips. "Are you still not talking to Elena?"
"I just can't right now. You almost died. Grams died. We saved Damon and Stefan, but at what cost?" Bonnie's voice cracked, each word laced with pain and frustration.
"I just...I just wish she was here," I murmured, feeling the weight of Grams' absence like a leaden blanket.
"Me too." Bonnie took a shaky breath. "I don't blame you, Selene. So don't blame yourself because Grams wouldn't want you to."
"Okay."
I hung up, the hollow feeling inside me growing.
Elena came out onto the porch, her steps tentative, and Jenna followed with a coffee cup. Elena sat beside me, her presence comforting yet heavy with unspoken words. Jenna sipped her coffee, her eyes flickering between us.
"What are you doing out here? It's cold," Jenna said, her tone a mix of concern and mild reprimand.
"Thinking," I replied, staring out at the yard.
Elena cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "The, uh, funeral for Bonnie's grandma, it brought back a lot about mom and dad. I was wondering...you said that you would do some digging about them, our adoption."
"Right," Jenna nodded.
Elena hesitated, then asked, "So did you? Dig?"
"Come on inside." Jenna led us into the house.
We moved to the dining room, where she pulled out her laptop and sat at the table. Elena stood beside her, and I took the other side, watching as she opened a journal and flipped to a marked page.
