Sunlight After the Storm

Nathan's POV

A call came in almost immediately. The voice on the other end sounded hesitant.

"Nathan, when did you get back? You were there for the autopsy. It's been years now—don't you think it's time to let go?"

The voice kept droning on, but I couldn't hear a single word. I hung up. My eyes stayed locked on their fading figures in the distance.

For three years, I dreamed of Emily Cross every single night. Her eyes, her brows, the tiny mole at the corner of her eye—everything was exactly the same. There's no way I could be wrong.

I staggered after them, watching as Jake Randall's arm rested on Emily's shoulder.

"You've been through so much all these years," he said. "Hiding like this just to be with me. Once the baby's born safe, I'll tell Nathan the truth and bring him home from the facility."

Not only was Emily alive—she was carrying Jake's child.

My fingers curled at my side. I opened my mouth to call out to her, but the words got stuck in my throat.

Three years ago, Emily was driving back from out of town to celebrate my birthday when she got into an accident on the highway. By the time I got to the scene, it was completely swarmed with emergency vehicles. All they told me was that Emily was dead—her body too mangled to recognize.

Her friend, a forensic pathologist, took me to the autopsy. My mother made me cremate her with my own hands.

For a while after that, I wanted to kill myself just to be with her again. My mother kept trying to talk me down.

"Nathan, I know you're hurting," she'd say. "But Emily is gone. That's the reality."

To keep me from spiraling, she sent me to a facility overseas for psychiatric treatment. Three years later, I've gone from a normal person to something barely human. The pills made my body swell up. The electroshock therapy left me foggy and disoriented. But I never once forgot Emily.

"Mom found the best hospital and doctor for you. Your only job right now is to rest and take care of yourself."

Jake's voice pulled me back to the present.

Emily used to hate Jake. She always felt bad for me, saying Jake had taken everything from me.

And now? She tilted her chin up, smiling sweetly, her eyes full of love for him. The kind of look I could only get when I drugged myself to sleep.

As they got into the car to leave, my body moved before my brain could stop it. I spread my arms and stepped in front of the car, nearly getting run over.

Emily jumped. She stuck her head out the window and frowned. "Seriously? Some people will try anything. Now they're faking accidents."

She didn't recognize me.

"Em..." My voice cracked as I tried to say her name.

Jake pulled a few bills from his wallet and tossed them at my feet. "There. Take the money and get lost. Can't you see my wife is pregnant? If something happens to her, you couldn't afford it."

Emily gave Jake a helpless look. "People like this should be reported to the police. Why are you giving him money?"

"Just think of it as a blessing for the baby," he said. "Mom's waiting at home. Let's go."

The car sped off, splashing mud on me. My head was ringing. I thought about what they'd said—about my mother.

For three years, I was in that facility overseas, and my mom never once contacted me.

So she knew Emily was alive too. She kept it from me as well.

I took a cab and followed them all the way home. There, I saw my mother—the woman I hadn't seen in three years—smiling warmly as she held Emily's hand.

"Mom," Jake said, "the baby's due in less than a month. Has Nathan gotten any better? I feel terrible about what I've done to him. Once Emily gives birth, I want to bring Nathan back and tell him the truth."

My mother listened to Jake, her face calm and unreadable.

"Nathan used to have everything," she said flatly. "You and Emily just started building a good life. What's the point of bringing him back?"

My eyes started to sting. I walked forward slowly. They all noticed me and looked up.

"Mom."

The three of them froze.