STRANGE LOVE | RAFE CAMERON |

CHAPTER 26: | I DID THIS FOR US |

In the days that followed Allison's overdose, the weight of everything that had transpired pressed down on her like a heavy fog. She moved through each day in a daze, barely able to process the events that had led her to the sterile white walls of a hospital room, to the realization that she was losing herself. Her mother, who had rushed from New York the moment she got the call, stayed by her side, their strained relationship easing into something softer, more forgiving.

Allison knew deep down that something had to change, that she couldn't keep numbing herself with drugs and avoiding the pain that seemed to claw at her from every direction. After long, tearful conversations with her mother, they made the difficult decision together—Allison would go to rehab, a private and structured environment where she could begin the slow process of healing.

・ • ・ • ・

One evening, as Allison stood in her new room, the scent of fresh linen mingling with the faint smell of chlorine from the pool outside, she felt the weight of the past few months pressing down on her chest. Her mother had rented a beautiful one-story house, trying to provide a safe haven for Allison's recovery, a place where she could feel supported and loved as she worked through the darkness that had consumed her.

The room was light and airy, with double doors that opened directly into a yard. As she packed her suitcase with the clothes she wanted to take with her to rehab, each piece she folded seemed to carry the weight of a memory. Some memories brought a small smile to her face—nights spent laughing with friends, moments of simple joy. But others were tainted with regret and pain, reminders of the choices that had led her here.

As she reached for a T-shirt that had somehow ended up in her suitcase, she realized with a start that it wasn't hers—it was Rafe's. She must have accidentally taken it when she was hurriedly packing her things at Tannyhill. The fabric was soft, worn in from countless washes, and it still smelled faintly of him. Allison held it close for a moment, feeling a pang of sadness and longing for the boy she had thought she loved, the boy who had spiraled so far out of control.

Suddenly, a soft knock on the door broke her reverie, and her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Rafe's silhouette standing just outside the glass. She hesitated, her breath catching in her throat before she opened the door. Rafe stepped inside, his eyes wide and desperate, searching hers for something—anything—that might reassure him.

"I heard you're leaving tomorrow," he began, his voice tight with the effort to keep his emotions in check.

Allison nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I have to, Rafe. I need to get my life together."

Rafe's eyes filled with sadness, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world had finally caught up with him. "I'm sorry, Allison," he said, his voice breaking. "I know you overdosed because of me."

Allison didn't know what to say, her heart aching at the sight of him. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him that it wasn't entirely his fault, that she had made her own choices, too. But the words stuck in her throat, and all she could do was nod.

A heavy silence hung between them, the kind of silence that only comes when two people know that something irrevocable has changed. Finally, Rafe spoke again, his voice quiet but filled with a desperate need to be honest. "I tried to kill Sarah."

Allison's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "What? Why would you tell me that?"

"Because you asked for honesty," Rafe replied, his voice trembling. "I'm not keeping anything from you anymore."

Allison nodded slowly, understanding what he was trying to do, but the knowledge that he had tried to kill his own sister was almost too much to bear. She felt a deep sadness for the boy she had once known, the boy who had been consumed by darkness and anger.