The Family Origin

Chapter Seventy-Six: MAISIE POV

Joseph looked so sick when Miles dragged him into our home in the middle of the day. He struggled to breathe and was coated in a cold sweat. He clutched at his chest, but he could not tell me what was wrong. Miles laid him on our bed, and I was unsure what to do. It was like watching Briar die in front of my eyes again. I felt so helpless. I tried wiping the sweat off his face, but it did not help. He cupped the side of my face and called me Clara.

I could not stop my tears as I listened to him ramble about Clara while he died. Miles tried to keep him awake, but it was useless. He was slipping away from us. I held his hand to my cheek and cried as he said Clara's name, hoping it provided him with some sort of comfort.

Joseph's last breath was a shaky rattle before a heavy silence fell over the bedroom. I squeezed my eyes shut and tightened my grip on his hand. Downstairs, the floor creaked and I could hear Jasper and Simon's soft voices. They were behind Miles when he dragged Joseph into our home, and I told them not to follow us to the bedroom. They did not need to watch their grandfather die.

"Maisie," Miles said, but I did not move. "Maisie, look at me."

I opened my eyes and turned to look at the other side of the bed. Joseph's hand remained on my cheek. Miles stood beside the bed and stared at his father with his emotionless gaze. There were no tears and not even a hint of sadness behind his eyes. The only change was how his fists were clenched at his side.

"Go downstairs and watch the boys," he said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"It was probably his heart."

"What was-"

"Does it matter?" He raised his voice to cut me off. "He is dead. He is not coming back."

I sucked in a deep breath, but I could not stop the tears. Glancing down at Joseph caused my chest to tighten and made me sob even harder. This was the man who had saved me so many years ago from that horrible tavern. How long had I been here? I lost track of time, but it had to be over ten years ago. He gave me the family I always dreamed about. I never thought any of this would ever be possible.

"Go downstairs," Miles said again.

Joseph had been one of the few constants I ever had, and I was never going to see him again. When I was child and my parents died, I did not feel this kind of crushing sadness. When my grandmother died while we were staying in the inn, I was so upset because I thought I would be alone forever. When Briar died, I was unable to control the unbearable grief of losing my daughter. What would happen to us now that Joseph was gone?

A hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me away from Joseph. I stumbled as Miles forced me onto my feet. He grabbed my arms in a tight grip that would bruise my flesh. He pulled me over to the bedroom door. I tried pushing him away, but he tightened his hold to keep my arms to my side.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

I gasped when my back collided with the bedroom wall. Miles kept my arms pinned to my side, and I could not wipe away the tears rolling down my cheeks. I tried to pull away, but his crushing hold did not lessen. My vision was blurry from crying, but I doubted there was any crack in his expression. Why was he not upset?

"Maisie, you need to stop crying," he said. His grasp somehow became even tighter, causing me to grit my teeth to stop myself from screaming. "I hate it when you cry. You need to control your emotions so you can go downstairs and take care of Jasper and Simon."

"They need to say goodbye," I said. "He is their grandfather."

I craned my neck to try and look at Joseph's body, but Miles's large size blocked my view. A mixture of a scream and a sob left my lips as I tried to twist out of his hold. Why was he not letting me say goodbye to Joseph? How were my bones not shattering from his strength? He slammed me back into the wall, and pain shot up my spine and into my neck.