Emotion

23

Chapter Twenty-Three| Eden

"Are you sure you want to go back home?" Lia frowns as I pack my stuff up.

"Yeah, I just need to be alone for a while." I give her a small smile and watch her give me a sympathetic look.

"I don't want you to be by yourself, you're going to overthink." Lia sighs.

"Lia." I breathe out, "Theo's dead. It's been two weeks since that fire and there's been no sign of him. I'll overthink anywhere."

"You don't know that, there was no body." Lia tries to reason.

"Then where is he?!" I can't help but shout and I feel myself starting to get overwhelmed. "Where is he?!" I cry.

Lia pulls me into a tight hug.

"I love you, Eden." She whispers and I only cry harder. "I'm going to come and check on you everyday."

"I love you, too."

I make it home just before the sun sets. My door is now fixed thanks to Zack. I slowly close the door behind me and sigh when the eerie silence welcomes me.

I look around and play with the necklace that Theo gave me before he was taken. I lazily throw my bag on the floor and make my way to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.

I quietly cry as I rest my hand on my small baby bump.

Once I've made my tea, I move to the living room and freeze when I spot one of Theo's hoodies on the sofa. I place my cup down on the coffee table and put it on, embracing the faint scent of his aftershave.

For the next hour I stare blankly at the television. My phone begins to ring, Oliver's name popping up. I answer straight away.

"Hello?"

"Eden, Professor Richards is alive, he's in a coma though. My team have managed to recover the cctv footage and I can confirm that Theodore is more than alive." I let out a cry of relief at his last words.

"He's okay." I whimper.

"Although I don't know for how long though, he made it out of the burning building but he looked quite injured." I slowly closes my eyes. "And once Professor Richards wakes up from his coma, God knows what he will do to him."

"Someone needs to stop that man, Oliver. What he's doing is illegal!" I protest and I hear him sigh. "If I have to do it myself I will beca-" I freeze when I hear a massive thud against my front door. "I'm going to have to call you back." I quickly say before hanging up the phone.

I get up and turn the television and light off, so I can look out the window and when I do my heart stops and I rush over to the door.

"Theo!" He's slumped on my doorstep, clutching the side of his stomach. He looks up at me with watery eyes, a large bruise is visible on his cheek and his hair sticks to his forehead. "Baby?" I crouch down in front of him and cradle his face in my hands.

He looks at me in confusion and then looks around him. "I-I'm s-sorry." He whimpers and throws his arms around me. "I'm sorry, small." He cries and I cry with him.

"It's okay, you're here now, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine." I rub his back as he sobs. "Let's get you inside, clean your wounds and I'll run you a bath." I help him stand up.

He leans most of his weight on me and I struggle a little to keep him up. "S-Sorry." He mutters and takes some of his weight off of me.

"Can you walk up the stairs?" I question him and he nods.