Atlas couldn’t remember how he made it back to the hospital.
When he came to his senses, he was already sitting by Ember’s bedside with tears streaming down his face.
Ember lay there with her eyes closed, so still it was almost as though she weren’t breathing. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest proved she was still alive.
Atlas broke down as he looked at her serene features. He buried his face in his hands as he wept.
He knew Kaylee had been right.
Neither Kaylee nor Spencer had caused as much harm to Ember as he himself had.
How did it come to this?
He truly loved Ember in the beginning. How did he end up doing so many things to hurt her?
If only he hadn’t gone to the birthday party with Kaylee…
If only he hadn’t fought with Ember that day….
If only, he hadn’t left her behind out of spite on the day of the ski trip…
The hospital room was deathly quiet except for his muffled sobs.
Memories flooded his mind–bright and happy days that were now out of reach, like snowflakes melting as soon as he tried to grasp them.
He tremblingly pulled out his phone, desperately searching for any trace of Ember.
Yet, there was nothing.
Then he remembered. Kaylee had once claimed her phone was broken and asked to borrow his to take photos.
He had lent it to her without hesitation. When the phone was returned, every single photo of Ember was
gone.
Kaylee had said she accidentally pressed the delete button. And what had he said in response?
That’s right–he had dismissed it with, “It’s not a big deal. If they’re deleted, so be it.”
No. No, there had to be something left.
He opened Ember’s social media account with a shaking hard, only to find her profile blacked out.
The user had deactivated their account.
Atlas clenched Ember’s hand as agony ripped through his chest
How deeply disappointed must she have been to delete her account, to erase everything they had shared?
