She buried her face into my neck and cried like she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
And I held her. Rocked her. Let her grieve however she needed to.
For the first time in twelve hours, I saw her. Not numb. Not frozen.
Just broken.
Carmen eventually drifted off again, tucked into my side, her lashes still wet, her breathing uneven. I didn’t move. Not even when the phone buzzed softly with a new message from Jayda.
Jay:She okay?
I texted back with one hand.
Me:She cried herself out. She’s sleeping.
Her reply came fast.
Jay:Good. That’s good. Let her rest.
Then, a text from Alyssa:
Lyssa:OMG! Is she okay?
Lyssa:Don’t even answer that, I know she’s not.
Me:She’s okay for now. She’s asleep.
Lyssa:Fuck. I’ll call her tomorrow. Take care of her, Delancy. Seriously.
Me:Ofc. I will.
Lyssa:AndI know you don’t want to, but maybe you should let Marcus talk to her.
I stared at the message, jaw tightening.
Of all the names to drop.
Me:Ly…
Lyssa:I know.
Lyssa:But you know I’m right. He knew her dad. He knew their relationship. You’ve done all you can, and I’m sure you’ve done beautifully. But maybe this is one of those things where you can’t be the person who fixes it.
I swallowed hard and looked down at Carmen, curled into me, her body small and still like she was trying to disappear into my ribs. My chest ached.
I didn’t want to call Marcus. That man was too close.
But this wasn’t about me.
Me:Fine. I’ll call him in the morning.
Lyssa:Do it tonight. Before you talk yourself out of it.
She knew me too damn well.
I let out a slow, heavy breath and grabbed Carmen’s phone again. The last time I was in it, I had blocked the man I was about to talk to. The screen glared back at me as I opened the contact list and scrolled down to the name I blocked days ago.
Marcus.
