Tessa slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the muted gray light of dawn slipping through the curtains. The room felt heavy, oppressive, as if echoing the ache in her chest. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and made her way to the kitchen, every movement deliberate, as though her body might shatter if she moved too quickly.
Her head throbbed with the aftermath of too much alcohol, and her swollen, gritty eyes stung from the hours she'd spent crying. She grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and downed it in desperate gulps, the cold liquid doing little to soothe the dry, raw ache in her throat.
The last thing she remembered was Ash's voice, soft and soothing, singing her to sleep. She needed to talk to him, to explain everything, though she suspected he already knew far more than he let on. But not today. Today was for her. For unraveling the knot of grief, anger, and confusion tangled inside her.
After a quick breakfast and a shower, she found herself standing in front of the closet. Her heart raced as her eyes landed on the box. The box. It had been years since she last touched it. Tessa reached up, her hands trembling as she pulled it down and placed it on the bed. She stood there for a moment, just staring, as if the lid might burst open and engulf her in memories she wasn't ready to face.
She took a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes as she lifted the lid. The air seemed to thin around her, the world narrowing to just this moment. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Cassie's baby blanket.
Her hands trembled as she lifted it out, the faintest trace of her daughter's baby scent lingering on the fabric. A sob wrenched its way out of her throat, sharp and jagged, as she clutched the blanket to her chest. One memory spilled into another, a tidal wave of tiny hands, soft giggles, and the way Cassie's hair always smelled like sunshine.
She placed the blanket aside and pulled out their wedding album. Her fingers brushed over the glossy photos, each one a window to a past life—a happier life. Beneath it were picture frames, still encasing fragments of a time when laughter filled their home.
Then she saw it. A small portfolio of Cassie's preschool artwork, bright crayon drawings now muted by time. Tessa flipped through them slowly, tears blurring her vision as she traced the childish lines, hearing Cassie's voice echo in her mind as she proudly explained each masterpiece.
Her breath hitched when her hand found something else. A locket. She opened it to reveal Cassie's tiny, smiling face.
The last thing in the box was Lucas's shirt—the one she always used to sleep in. She brought it to her nose, and his scent hit her like a gut punch, a painful mix of comfort and loss. She held it tightly, crumbling under the weight of everything Lucas once meant to her. The years they spent together, the love they shared—it wasn't easy to forget.
Tessa pushed the box aside, wiping her tears with trembling hands. She reached for the letter, her stomach twisting into knots. The envelope felt heavy, as if it carried not just words but the weight of their broken history.
She slid the letter out, her fingers brushing over Lucas's beautiful cursive handwriting. Old English, always perfect, just like him. She stared at his familiar penmanship for a moment, a lump forming in her throat. How many times had she seen that handwriting on notes he'd left her over the years? Little reminders of love that now felt so distant. Her hands trembled as she unfolded the paper, the edges of the letter crackling softly in the silent room. As she began to read, the words hit her like a physical blow.
**Tessa,
**I don't know where to begin, or how to find the words to say what's in my heart. You've been a part of my life since I was six—a little boy wandering the neighborhood streets. You were the girl with the brown hair and the radiant smile, the one who became my entire world.**
Her breath hitched. She could picture it so vividly—Lucas as a boy, shy but endearing, always trailing after her. She didn't realize it then, but even at that age, he'd looked at her like she was the only person in the world.
Her eyes blurred as she kept reading.
**I loved you from the moment I saw you, but I fell completely, irrevocably in love with you the day you ran to me, tears streaming down your face, after Alfie died. You buried yourself in my arms, and though you were breaking, I felt this warmth spread through me. I knew, in that moment, you were my forever.**
Her chest tightened, a sob threatening to escape. How could something so simple, so innocent, turn into the devastation she felt now? She pressed her hand to her mouth, forcing herself to stay quiet, but the tears were relentless.
She paused, gripping the letter as though it might steady her, and forced herself to continue.
**By high school, everyone knew we were together. It felt so good knowing no one else could have you—not even Jax. I knew he liked you, and it nearly destroyed our friendship. But then, one summer night, you said something that changed everything.**
Tessa shut her eyes, the memories flooding back unbidden. The lake, the laughter, the campfire. She had been so happy then, so blissfully unaware of the storm that would one day engulf their lives.
**It was your thirteenth birthday. We'd spent the day at the lake, swimming, laughing, soaking up the sun. That evening, your parents threw a party—there was cake, music, dancing. Later, as we sat around the campfire, I dozed off. I woke to hear Jax asking you to dance. You smiled at him, kind as always, but then you said, "There's only one boy I want to dance with under the moon, with the stars as our audience."**
She let out a shaky breath, clutching the letter tighter. She remembered that night vividly—how her heart had been so full, how Lucas had been her whole world. And now here she was, reading his confessions through the haze of her shattered heart.
The letter continued, unraveling the truth she'd never known.
**I kept a secret from you—a secret so big, my entire family was complicit in hiding it. I'm a hunter, Tessa. A supernatural hunter…**
Her hands froze, her breath catching in her throat. The words seemed surreal, like they belonged in someone else's story, not hers. Supernatural hunter? Lucas? She re-read the lines, but they didn't change. Her mind raced, grasping for answers that weren't there.
And then, the cruelest truth of all:
**Cassie's death wasn't an accident. She was murdered—because of me. Because of who I am and what I do.**
The room spun. Her knees buckled, and she sank onto the bed, the letter slipping from her fingers. Her mind screamed in protest, but the words burned into her memory. Cassie. Her sweet, innocent Cassie. Murdered because of Lucas's secret life.
Her stomach churned, bile rising in her throat. She wanted to scream, to rage, to claw at the unfairness of it all. But all she could do was sit there, trembling, as tears streamed down her face.
The letter had shattered her, and nothing—no words, no apologies—could ever put her world back together again.