Chapter 42 From The Beginning

• “Who’s here?” I hear Eric yell throughout the house in a warning voice as he walks down the hallway with his heavy tread and then stops just outside the door.
• Looking from Arabella to the door, I notice that she is a little too close to it, so I push her back just in time. He kicks it open and then stares at me with a shocked look on his face. Automatically smiling when the recognition registers in his eyes, I know that he remembers me, and everything will be alright. Sure, it has been several years since I have seen him last, but it hasn’t been so long that he wouldn’t recognize me. After all, I have hardly changed since then.
• “Oh my god, what are you doing here?” He asks in a boisterous voice, while stepping in and holding his arms out to give me a hug. “It has been so long since I have seen you last. Ever since Samantha’s funeral, I expected you to come back and visit. Years went by, and I realized that you were never coming back.” His voice fades off when he stares at his sister’s picture on the wall, then he continues speaking softly, “I regret what happened, but it is the past and now you are here.”