𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞

𝐓𝐰𝐨

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows on the faces of the two people standing within. It was quiet, except for the sound of the woman's heart pounding in her chest, which echoed in her ears. She stood across from a man, her eyes locked on his, waiting for him to speak.

The man's expression was unreadable, and the woman could feel the weight of it on her like a physical thing. She swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump that had formed in her throat, and took a deep breath before finally summoning the courage to meet his gaze.

The silence between them was heavy, and she could feel the tension in the air like a palpable thing. Despite her fear, she knew that she had to face him, had to find a way to bridge the gap that had grown between them. And so she stood there, her eyes locked on his, waiting for him to speak.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally broke the silence. "I never stopped looking for you...even after everyone else gave up," he said, his voice low and solemn.

She felt a surge of emotion at his words, a mix of relief and guilt washing over her. "I am sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just didn't see another way out, instead of staying and dealing with my problems I ran... I was sixteen and-"

"Why did you do it, why did you go?" he interrupted, his tone urgent. "If you tell me then maybe I can finally understand. You're my little sister, Izzy. I was supposed to protect you, not drive you to run away."

She could see the pain in his eyes, the hurt and confusion that had plagued him for years. She knew that she owed him an explanation, that she had to try and make things right between them. And so she took a deep breath and began to speak, the words pouring out of her in a rush as she tried to explain the reasons behind her flight, the fears and doubts that had consumed her, and the guilt that had haunted her ever since.

"I never told you or our parents but I met a guy when I was fifteen... I was scared he was older than me by a year. And a couple of months after my sixteenth birthday-" Before she continued she had to take a breather before the tears she was desperately trying to keep at bay turned into sobs.

"I-I found out I was pregnant... I was terrified I didn't know what to do, I couldn't have bared to see the look of disappointment on everyone's faces, God our parents were well-known firefighters of the community what would that have done to the reputation if everyone knew their sixteen year old daughter was pregnant, I was ashamed."

By now she could no longer care to keep the tears at bay "and then I told Alec, at first he was shocked but we did love each other Bobby, his parents were pretty religious and against any idea of sex before marriage so telling them was off the table immediately, it wasn't until a few weeks later that we had the idea to leave. We were star gazing and he asked me if I wanted to ever just leave and start a new life with him and our baby. At first, I thought he was completely insane but the fear of telling anyone was so strong that  I eventually agreed so that night in March I found myself climbing out of my bedroom window and leaving for Boston with Alec."

Bobby's face was marred by tears as he struggled to process the news. For years, he had agonized over his sister's sudden departure without any explanation. He had always assumed that it was due to their parents' overbearing expectations and their insistence on dictating her career path. But now, as he learned that she had left because she was pregnant, Bobby was forced to confront the harsh truth that he had never even considered such a possibility.

For a long time, he had feared the worst and believed that Izzy might have passed away. But now that he knew the reason behind her sudden departure, Bobby was filled with conflicting emotions. His heart ached for his sister, who had to go through such a difficult time alone, but he was also disappointed in himself for never realizing that she might be struggling with something so big.

As the tears continued to flow down his cheeks, Bobby couldn't help but wonder if Izzy had thought that he would hate her for being pregnant. He knew that he could never harbour such feelings towards his flesh and blood, and he would have done anything to support her and the new life she was bringing into the world. Despite his disappointment and regrets, Bobby was determined to make things right and be there for his sister, no matter what.

Isabella faced Bobby, the concern in his eyes was palpable. "You have a kid?" he asked, his voice tentative. "What about this Alec guy, are you two still together?" He wanted to know every detail of her life, but Isabella could feel the knot in her stomach tighten. This was the part she had been dreading - the wound was still fresh, and the thought of reliving it made her heartache. She knew, however, that she had to tell him everything, even if it was painful to talk about. After all, Bobby had a right to know. to know after all this time.

As she wiped away the sticky wetness off her cheek, she couldn't help but feel the weight of her words. She knew that the moment she started talking about him, the tears would start again.

With a deep breath, she steadied herself and began, "I have a daughter named Mallory. She's my everything - my reason for waking up every morning. She's super smart, especially for her age. She has this incredible curiosity and thirst for knowledge that just amazes me."

As she spoke about her daughter, her eyes lit up with a warmth and love that was undeniable. It was clear that Mallory was the centre of her world and that nothing could ever change that.

"Her father, Alec Wright, six months ago there was a pile up on the highway, Alec got the worst of it being directly behind the drunk driver. There's nothing the first responders could have done he was already gone when they got to the scene."

Isabella would eventually tell Bobby everything in full detail but that moment wasn't now, losing Alec was still a sore subject for her. He was her everything and now suddenly she had to learn to live without him, to her it felt like she had to learn how to walk again.

"and then Just as I was about to give up I saw you on the news, the report Taylor Kelly did on LA's firefighters and there you were, my brother, and I knew I had to come here and fix what I broke."

Bobby didn't say anything he didn't know what to say after all that, his sister had been through far too much. So instead of trying to comfort her with words he pulled her into a tight embrace, the pair not caring about the tears falling onto each other's shoulders. They were mourning the time that they had lost, Bobby vowed that he would be there for Isabella and Mallory no matter what and he intends to keep that promise till the day he dies.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

Authors note - HELLO Natasha here, Just want to let you know that I will probably be editing this chapter a bit more in the future but for now I Just wanted it published. :)