After I Was Gone

I set down my fork and fled in a hurry. The happiness between the two of them felt like an arrow—cold and precise—aimed straight at me.

When news came of our parents' deaths, Bobby had held me close and promised, "Bella, don't worry. I'll protect you for the rest of your life. I'll take Mom and Dad's place. I'll walk you down the aisle someday."

But after Audrey came into our home, I became a girl without a family.

I spent the night at the hospital and didn't return. Not a single message showed up on my phone—not a word of concern from Bobby. He didn't care.

Before we left, the director reminded us to say goodbye to our families. If there were things we couldn't say out loud, we could write a farewell letter instead.

After I wrapped up the paperwork at the hospital, I had to head back home to pack a few documents and clothes.

In my room, I held my housekeeper, Marie—the woman who had raised me—and told her goodbye.

She was the only one who knew I was leaving the country on a rescue mission.

"Bella, do you really have to go?" she asked. "If something happens to you too, what's Bobby supposed to do, all alone…"

I gave a wry smile. He probably wouldn't care anyway.

"It's okay, Marie. He still has Audrey."

As I whispered those words to her, trying to ease her worry, Audrey barged into the room.

"Bella, these medals in your suitcase—Bobby said he's giving them to me."

Those medals were awarded posthumously to my parents. They was the only thing that gave me strength.

"Audrey, this was given after our parents died. I'm about to leave, and I want to bring it with me. It's like having them by my side."

I quickly snatched the medals into my hands. I knew her—once she had her eye on something, she wouldn't stop until she had it.

"Why are you being so tense? We share the same parents now. Let me have them, okay? Mom and Dad gave their lives for me. This is the only way I can remember them."

She mentioned my parents' deaths, but there was no sorrow in her voice, not even a trace. It was clear—what my parents gave their lives for was nothing more than a cold-blooded creature.

"Audrey, stop it! That's my parents' keepsake!"

Her behavior made my voice rise in spite of myself. All these years, she'd never once paid respects to my parents.

Bobby had suggested taking her, but Audrey had said, "Bobby, every time I think of them, I remember their burned-up bodies. It's terrifying."

Afraid she'd live in the past, Bobby never brought it up again.

But those bodies she found so disgusting—they were the people I loved most.

Audrey's own birth parents had died in that same fire. And yet, every October, I'd see her sneaking off to the cemetery, placing flowers at their grave.

She wasn't afraid of corpses. She just never saw my family as anything more than a place to feed off of.

I clutched those two medals tightly, my teeth grinding so hard I could hear it.

"Audrey, you can have everything else. Even Bobby. But not the medals."

I hadn't wanted to stir up more conflict before leaving, but this—this was something I wouldn't budge on.

Marie, seeing the tension boil over, quickly stepped in to stop her. "Audrey, that's all Bella has left of her parents. Let her have it."

The moment someone spoke up for me, Audrey bristled, every thorn on full display.

"What's that supposed to mean, Marie? Are you saying I'm not part of this family? Bobby and I are going to Cranburn, and bringing the medals is perfectly reasonable."

Her eyes were rimmed red. Then came the tears. The drama. The same act every time.

And, like always, Bobby fell for it.

The moment he heard her crying, he rushed in. "Bella, what did you do to Audrey this time?! Look how upset she is!"

Audrey collapsed into his arms, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. There was no room left for my explanation. He held her close, whispering comfort.

"Bobby, I just wanted to…"