I round the corner and see Cam standing outside the door. His arms are crossed across his chest, his expression is dark and almost numb.
“What the fuck happened?” I demand, voice sharp with panic, but weak and breathless at the same time. I can barely control the rage and fear boiling over me.
Cam looks up and his eyes narrow when they meet mine. “Calm down, Alex.”
I almost punch him.
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down,” I snap, stepping closer. “What the hell happened to her, Cam?”
Cam doesn’t answer right away. He sighs heavily and runs a hand along the length of his face, he’s trying to calm himself down before he explodes. “I went by the house early before work this morning to drop off a painting of Mom she wanted. When I got there, I found her collapsed on the floor, unconscious. I called an ambulance and they brought her here.”
I stagger back a step, feeling the blood drain from my face. My heart pounds in my chest as every word hits me like a punch in the gut.
I imagine Emma lying there alone, struggling and scared.
Iwasn’t there.
A cold sweat breaks over me.
“She’s in heart failure, Alex.” Cam adds quietly.
It feels like a bullet and hits me like one too. A hit I’m not braced for.
I can feel my knees buckle and take a step back to offset it. My head spins. “No… No, she—she would’ve told me. She would’ve?—”
“She didn’t want you to know.”
That lands harder than the bullet.
I look up at Cam, but he won’t meet my eyes.
“She’s been sick for months. Alex. She’s been hiding how bad it is for a while, apparently. She didn’t tell anyone outside the family. Not even Liv or Sophia knew until recently.”
No one told me.Shedidn’t tell me.
My throat is dry and I feel like I am gasping for air.. “Why wouldn’t she tell me?” My voice is raw now. “Why wouldn’t she fucking tell me, Cam?”
Cam’s eyes finally find mine. They are full of so much contempt, it makes my stomach turn. He tilts his head and his eyes darken into two pools of molten lava as he studies me. “It’s not like you guys have been on the best of terms the past fifteen fucking years. I’m sure you were the last person she wanted to know.”
I don’t even think before the words are out of my mouth.
“I’velovedher for fifteen fucking years, Cam!”
Cam’s expression hardens. His fingers twitch at his sides like he wants to hit me. “You’ve what?”
I drag a hand down my face, trying to breathe, trying to find the words that make sense when everything inside me feels like it’s falling apart. “I’ve loved her,” I repeat, quieter this time. “Since before I even know what that meant. Since we were kids.”
Cam takes a step closer, eyes burning into mine. “Shut the fuck up, Alex.”
“Cam, I’m serious?—”
He cuts me off with a sharp wave of his hand. “No, Alex. Don’t sit there and tell me you’ve loved my sister. You’re going to tell me the relationship you’ve had with my sister all these years is your definition of love? You must be really fucked up, man.”
“You knownothingabout our relationship!” I lash out.
“Alex, you can’t rewrite the story now just because my sister is dying.”
“Shut up and listen to me, Cam!” I hesitate before continuing because I know there’s no taking it back once I say it. “After your mom died, we spent a lot of time together. We didn’t tell anyone. We didn’t want to.”
