“They never said a word,” Ursuline whispered, staring at the surface of the table. “Just kept me working like a cog in the machine.”
My throat burned, and so did my eyes with tears that begged to unleash. I placed the mug in my hands down, because they were shaking.
Ursuline’s family was dead.
All their work, all their effort, all their sacrifice was for nothing.
“Excuse me,” they said, and they pushed up from their seat, their tentacles trembling as they glided in the direction of the restrooms.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Jason, who nodded somberly. My feet carried me across the tiles after them, whether they wanted company or not. I couldn’t abandon them. Not now.
I pushed into the restroom, but they weren’t in the main area.
A shuddery sob resounded across the tiles, coming from the large stall in the back. I rushed over and rested my hand on the handle.
Another sob echoed through the room.
“Can I come in?” I asked, adrenaline rocketing through my whole body, like I needed to fight something.
Except the person who’d caused this was the one we ran from.
Ursuline didn’t respond, but the lock on the door clicked, and I took that as a cue I was welcome. Ursuline barely had space in the stall as they curled on one side, and I wouldn’t be able to squeeze in on the other. Instead, I locked the door then sank onto their lap, slowly, making sure my presence was welcome and not too much.
The visible shudder that ran through Ursuline as I settled there had me tempted to bolt, but then they wrapped their arms around me to clutch me tight. Their face buried into my chest, their nails dug in, and I squeezed them hard, not wanting to let them go.
Another sob escaped them, and my tears began to sting. My heart ached like someone had torn it out of my chest at seeing Ursuline undone like this. At the cruelty that had been inflicted on them for fucking years.
They deserved so much better. They deserved freedom and love and loyalty. They deserved long, passionate nights and gentle, quiet mornings. I wanted to give them all of it.
A few tears slipped down my cheeks as I clutched them tight. Condolences felt paltry in the moment, and I couldn’t bring the dead back. All I could do was stay here by their side now. Let them take off the armor they’d donned.
“I should’ve fucking figured it out,” they said, their voice ragged. “The letters the past few years…the frequency. The distant tone. Fuck, everything.”
I squeezed them again, as if I could offer them some of my own soul in the process. “They didn’t want you to know. They were careful because you’re clever, not the opposite.”
A wounded sound erupted from Ursuline’s throat, the combination of a sob and a howl, and fuck. I couldn’t imagine how devastating this news was. Maybe because I’d never had the sort of family they did.
However, I did understand how it felt to be betrayed. How it felt to be used, just an object for an endgame you weren’t even a part of.
And the Triton family was responsible.
My gut churned. Arielle had been aware. She’d smiled and laughed and acted carefree, all while knowing they kept Ursuline here unfairly. Knowing they should be free.
“I didn’t think…” they said, a slight tinge of horror in their voice. “When I said my goodbye before coming to the surface, it was never supposed to be the final one.”
Oh gods. My eyes watered anew, and I shut them as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. My chest ached. They’d lost everything. Everything they’d sacrificed all these years had been for…nothing.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat here in the quiet of the bathroom, holding each other like life preservers in a storm. Time melted away, until all that existed was the heat of their skin, their heavy breaths, and the press of their body. The reminder that we were here, and we were alive.
Jason was probably still waiting for us out in the diner, but I didn’t feel the need to rush back to him. If anyone would understand the weight of the news Jason had delivered, he would. And he wasn’t someone who had an issue with sitting in the quiet either. I refused to budge while Ursuline needed me. They’d been alone up here for so long, working for that horrific family, but they weren’t on their own any longer.
For as long as we had, I’d be by their side.
“Shit, I thought I could handle myself better,” they muttered, swiping at their eyes.
I pressed a kiss on their forehead. “You haven’t managed to out cry me, so I think you’re fine.”
Ursuline’s lips twitched the slightest bit, and I internally cheered at the win. Their expression was haunted, from the ghosts they hadn’t realized were following them around all this time, but the reflexes of their humor still existed.
