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Chapter 14

It had been over a week since the first meeting, but tonight felt different. I was nervous, but not the same kind of nervous I felt the first time. That night, I was full of fear and anger, but now, there was something else, something softer.

I wasn’t sure if it was hope or resignation, but I was here. I was ready for this. Whatever this was going to be.

The café was small and quiet, tucked away in a corner of the city. Just the right place for something like this.

There were only a few people, the dim lighting and the smell of coffee grounding me in the moment. But as I stepped inside, my nerves kicked back in. I’d done this before walked into a room full of people who didn’t know me, or thought they did and felt alone. But tonight, I wasn’t walking in alone. My brothers had promised they would show up, and for the first time in years, I believed them.

“Estella!” Orion was the first to see me. His voice was warm, almost like he couldn’t believe I’d actually come. His expression softened, and it was enough to make me smile, if only a little. Behind him, the others followed Felis, Caelum, Atlas, Leo, and Nash. They all looked more reserved than last time, but I could tell they were trying.

“I told you she would really come” Caelum said with a playful smirk. For a moment, the tension in the air eased, just enough for me to breathe.

I nodded but didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. I simply followed them to the table where we would sit. I knew tonight wouldn’t be easy. Not after everything that had been said before, and everything that had remained unsaid. But silence had hurt us for too long. It was time to try and fill the void.

“You’ve been thinking about everything, haven’t you?” Felis said, his voice steady but serious. His gaze was firm, like he was trying to read me. “About everything we talked about?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes” I said softly, feeling the weight of the words. “I’ve been thinking a lot. After all these years, it’s helped, but there are still so many things I don’t understand. So many questions...”

“We didn’t just leave you, Estella” Orion said, his voice low. His expression softened, and I saw the regret in his eyes. “We made mistakes. Mistakes we still carry with us. But hurting you was never our intention.”

“And yet, you did” I replied, my voice calm but firm. I wasn’t angry not this time. “I know we were all kids back then. But you were the ones who could’ve protected me. Instead, I was left to figure everything out on my own.”

There was silence again, and it felt heavier now. My words had struck a chord, and I saw the guilt in their eyes. But it was more than that there was something else, something deeper that we had never talked about. And it needed to be said.

“She... she got worse after you left. She drank more. A lot more. I thought, maybe, it was just a phase, something that would pass. But it didn’t. It was like she was disappearing into the bottle, and I...” My throat tightened as I spoke. “I was the one left picking up the pieces. I was thirteen, and I had to learn to take care of things. I had to cook, clean, make sure the bills were paid because she couldn’t. She couldn’t do anything anymore. And I had to take care of her, too. I watched her pass out on the couch, disappear for days without any explanation. I didn’t even know where she went, and sometimes, I didn’t want to know.”

I paused for a moment, feeling the weight of those years pressing on me again. “I had to survive, on my own. I didn’t have a choice. And I don’t know what I would’ve done if Noah,Austin and Kennedy hadn’t been there for me. They kept me from falling apart."

I let the words hang in the air, the pain of those memories flooding back, even as I tried to keep my composure. I could feel their eyes on me, trying to take in what I was saying.

“I never had a choice” I continued quietly. “I had to grow up fast. I had to fight every day to survive. And now, I’m here. With all of you. Trying to make sense of everything. But I don’t even know where to start.”

I looked up at them, meeting each of their eyes. “I know you didn’t leave because you didn’t care. But in the end, that’s how it felt. I was left to figure it all out alone. When you walked away, it wasn’t just losing my brothers. It felt like I lost everyone.”

The silence was heavy, and for a moment, I thought they might not know how to respond. But Orion was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry, Estella” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I had no idea. I never realized it was that bad. We should’ve known. We should’ve seen it.”

“No one saw it” Felis added quietly. “We were all too lost in our own worlds. I regret it every day. I regret not being there for you.”

I nodded, my heart heavy but somehow lighter at the same time. I’d heard their apologies before, but this time felt different. They were truly listening.

“I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty” I said softly. “I just want you to understand. I want you to know what it was like for me. And maybe... maybe we can start to move forward from here. But I can’t forget all those years of being alone.”

There was a long pause before Caelum spoke up, his voice gentler than I had ever heard it.

“We can’t fix the past, Estella” he said quietly. “But I think we can make things better from here. We owe you that.”