As soon as Emily pushed open the door, a wave of memories crashed over her.
Nothing had changed. The room looked exactly the same as the day they left.
Maybe it was because they’d lived here for so long, but coming back now, even Damon seemed a little shaken. He turned to look at her.
“Emily, do you remember when we-”
“No, I don’t.”
She dropped her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damon paused, then pointed to a LEGO set in the corner. “Didn’t we put that in the study after we finished it? How did it end up here?”
Emily didn’t bother looking. Her reply was calm, almost detached. “You can’t see it, but a lot of memories are like that–blurry, mixed up, impossible to hold onto.”
Just like how she used to think Damon loved her.
But in the end, she was nothing more than a desperate illusion to him–a mirage he needed to survive when he was trapped in darkness.
He couldn’t see, so he clung to her, leaned on her like she was his guide. That’s why she mattered.
But then he got his sight back, and suddenly, he could go wherever he wanted, do whatever he pleased. She didn’t matter anymore.
She’d fooled herself into thinking all those years they’d spent getting through hard times together would mean something–would be enough to weather any storm.
But it was all an illusion. Just a beautiful dream that faded with the morning light.
Damon caught a flicker of sadness on Emily’s face, something tightening in his chest.
He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she just turned away and headed out to the balcony.
“The piano’s in the last room at the end of the hall,” she said. “You two can go ahead.”
Emily’s footsteps faded as she sat in a rocking chair and closed her eyes.
Not long after, the bright sky turned gray, and rain started to fall.
She got up and wandered back to the living room, just as the sound of piano music drifted down the hall.
It was the first piece she’d ever heard-“Liebesträume.”
As she listened, she felt herself pulled back to that summer when she was ten, following the sound almost without thinking.
1/2
Chapter
Through the window, she saw Damon and Lea sitting side by side at the piano, their hands moving together, perfectly in sync.
Even after all these years, nothing between them had changed. Seven years apart, and Damon still looked at Lea with the same deep affection.
That’s when it hit her–Damon had always loved Lea. He loved her so much that even after she left him for seven years, he never let go.
Of course, they were perfect together–golden boy and golden girl, both born into privilege, made for each other. Emily was just the housekeeper’s daughter. Who was she to try and force her way into their world, to hope for a place she’d never belong?
If she could go back, she’d never let herself fall for Damon, never hide a crush, never throw everything away just to care for him during those lost years.
The music faded, then disappeared.
Somewhere in the middle of it, Lea’s hand had found Damon’s, sliding up his arm.
Through the glass, Emily watched as Lea leaned in and kissed him.
“Damon, I know you still love me…”
That was it. Emily couldn’t watch anymore. She turned and walked away.
Outside, the rain was pouring, soaking her through.
Her mind felt empty. Sometimes she imagined herself as a tuft of grass growing on a cliff, other times as a lonely boat tossed by waves.
No roots, nowhere to go.
Even her tears disappeared into the rain, leaving no trace she’d ever been there at all.
212
