Butterfly (Prequal to Burn)

T H I R T E E N

Jax stood, hands clenched within his leather jacket pockets as he stared at the tombstone.

Riley Miller

He traced the name with his fingertips. He was now afraid he'd made the wrong decision. He crouched and laid the daisies on the ground over Riley's cold and dead body. He left his hand against the ground over the top of the grave and closed his eyes.

At home, he lay awake in his bed occasionally sliding his hand across the bed for it to rest over the warm body that lay beside him.

"Riley?" His voice was rough and growly as his thumb traced her shoulder. He waited. One beat. Two.

"Who the hell is Riley?!" The woman snapped, "I'm Cheryl!"

Jax leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes. Another bad woman—

Not Riley.

Riley was gone. Off in another life.

Just gone...

ℛℳ

Tyler rested his face in his hands. The bruises and broken bones were gone. The baby started to cry in the background and he groaned before rising to his feet. He walked into the makeshift nursery and picked a crying Bailey up.

"Shhhhhhh." He pat the child's back, "Everything's going to be okay."

He'd once told Riley that and it wasn't..

It had never been okay.

ℛℳ

Jax snapped awake when the nightmares hit him. Riley screaming in pain again and again. Traumatized. He shook his head.

Gone...

ℛℳ

The woman sat at the bar and downed her drink in one gulp. Marilyn had been this way ever since the incident. She often turned to drinking when times were tough.

Her husband slipped his arms under her own and lifted her up, "C'mon, sweet pea. Let's go home."

"I want her back..." Marilyn whispered.

"I know. Let's go home and get some rest."

ℛℳ

Jake sat alone, watching the trees sway back and forth.

"Take care of her, dad." He whispered and closed his eyes. The breeze kissed his face as if someone had agreed..

((Το τέλος))

*The end in Greek*