Tiny Crown

Chapter 23

Evan brought food up to her while she was still in his room. It was nice but she didn't enjoy it. While her heart had calmed down, her chest still felt uncomfortable, something still felt wrong. She ended up sleeping there too, Evan fetched her some pajamas from the room for her before heading downstairs to sleep on the couch.

She woke to the smell of bacon the next day. Her chest felt mostly fine and as she stood up, Emilia didn't feel light headed. She headed to the other room, grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom.

Heading downstairs, she stood on the bottom step of the stairs and watched him cook. Turning to grab a plate, his eyes widened.
"Emilia?"
She nodded. "Hey."
Evan grabbed two plates. "Are you okay?"
"As well as I can be, I guess," she said quietly. He just nodded as he turned to grab bread to make sandwiches with the bacon.

They both stayed in the kitchen to eat. Evan put the plates in the dishwasher before turning to Emilia with a sombre look on his face.
"If Nathan wasn't there," he said. He trailed off and took a deep breath. "I would have let you go."
"Liar." Emilia didn't even hesitate. Why would he have just let her go like that? There was no reason for him to.
"No," said Evan, shaking his head. "No, it was wrong to take you and to bring you here."
Emilia turned around and turned her back to him. It was childish but she didn't know what else to do. "I don't believe you."

Evan walked around her and Emilia looked away.
"I know now. You're scared, and I've hurt you, and that's wrong. I know that now." It did seem like he understood. Hesitantly, Emilia looked back at him and their eyes met. "I am truly sorry for what I've done."
"I..." Emilia looked away again, feeling tears well up in her eyes. How could he say that? After everything he had done, after everything he had caused, how could he then apologise?

"I need some time."

He just nodded and Emilia headed up the stairs as quickly as she could without running. She shut the door behind her, hoping it wouldn't get locked. Lying on the bed, she buried her face in the pillow and let herself cry.

She couldn't tell if she was crying tears of anger or sadness but there was a lot of tears.

Why did he have to apologise now?

Emilia twirled her ring around her finger, the one her mother had given her. She took the ring off her finger and held it in her hand. With her fingers wrapped tightly around it, she held it close to her heart. She might not ever see her mother again and that thought was unbearable. And that just caused more tears.

Emilia wished that she could go home. She didn't care that Evan had apologised and that he knew it was wrong and that he would have let her go to Aunt Kat's if Nathan wasn't there.

She wanted to go home.