Echoes of Yesterday

Part 31 - Fractured Echoes

As I watched Eric, his shoulders shaking, a knot formed in my throat. I had never seen him like this—his usual calm, steady presence shattered, replaced by a vulnerability that felt both foreign and heartbreaking.

Red-rimmed eyes filled with unshed tears, as though he were willing the universe to change what had happened to his sister.

In that moment, he seemed almost fragile, a side of Eric that was rare, almost feminine in its tenderness. Seeing him like this made my heart ache with a new kind of pain, an empathy so deep it felt woven into my very being. I took a hesitant step closer, wanting to reach out, to do something, but he closed his eyes, turning slightly away as if bracing himself.

Theo put a gentle hand on my shoulder, his expression shadowed with a quiet understanding. Eric turned to us, his voice hoarse as he spoke.

"Theo, please...take Daisy home," he murmured, his tone a mix of exhaustion and resolve. "You get home safe too. I... I need to be here, to stay with my parents through this. They shouldn't be alone right now."

My eyes met his, but there was nothing I could say to bridge the chasm of sorrow between us. I felt my heart fracture a little at the sight of him—his strength folded in on itself, his pain spilling over in ways I had never imagined. It felt almost unbearable, as though his grief had somehow become my own.

Theo nodded, his voice soft. "Of course. I'll make sure Daisy gets home safe."

Eric's gaze lingered on me for a moment, searching for something unspoken. And as Theo gently led me away, I stole one last look at Eric, wishing that I could somehow carry some of his pain, even if just for a moment.

As Theo drove, the quiet hum of the engine filled the silence between us. He finally spoke, his voice gentle, as if unveiling pieces of the past he'd held onto.

"You know, Tristan was never a cheater, Daisy. He... he just didn't know how to take care of you. He was always caught up in what he thought you should be rather than who you were." 

Theo glanced at me, the weight of his words hanging heavy. "There were times when he'd judge you for the very things that made you come alive, like your passion and your social world. It was sad because, even when he wasn't fully there for you, he knew he was hurting you."

Theo paused, his gaze distant, as though reaching back to a memory. "Once, he told me, 'I hurt her, Theo. Our relationship...it was a beautiful disaster. We tried, but we could never find our rhythm together.' I felt his regret, Daisy. It was deep and real."

"Some stories are meant to teach us, not complete us, and sometimes, losing something that couldn't hold us is the first step to finding the one who will."

After a moment, Theo's expression softened, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Then Sarah came into his life, and everything shifted. They fit, as if all those rough edges had smoothed out."

He looked at me, his eyes warm. "And, you know, I always thought you'd find someone better, someone who would see you for everything you are."