“What happened?” Elias asks when Tom doesn’t say anything.

“You should come home,” he sighs. “It’s Olivia.” When his dad says her name, Lorelai starts crying even harder, the sound ripping me in two.

I’ve never in my life heard a more painful thing. Elias looks at me, shock glistening in his eyes. He tells his dad he’ll be there in a few minutes and hangs up.

I dry myself as he dresses. I stay silent. He’s barely there, his stare broken. Empty.

“I—,” he says, pointing at the door after throwing a shirt on, “I’m gonna go.” He doesn’t even look at me, his hand shaking as he raises it to his mouth.

“I’m coming with you,” I say, throwing some sweats and a jumper on. My voice is calm and reassuring. The opposite of how I actually feel.

He nods, grabs his keys from the nightstand and rushes to the door. I run after him, feeling like I might throw up at any moment. Was it a car accident? Did she fall or something?

“Are they home?” I ask. If my fears are right, she’s probably in a hospital.

Elias nods, although I don’t think he’s aware of what he’s doing. When I see him go for the driver’s door I grab his shoulder.

“Let me,” I say. He nods again and gives me the keys.

I drive as fast as I can. Elias just stares out of the window, jiggling his leg. I want to say it’s going to be okay, but he’s never lied to me and I won’t either. I can’t reassure him about something I know nothing about.

“We’ll figure it out.” That’s the only thing I say. It’s the closest to the truth, despite whatever awaits us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

ELIAS

I keep telling myself it’s not real. Saying it over and over until it’s enough to make me believe it. But no matter how many times I say it, I’m shaking as the fearful images build in my mind. Just thinking of it shatters me, tears me apart. There’s a question that roughly stabs at my heart.

I see the ambulance as soon as we approach the house, and I leap out of the car as it’s still moving. Indigo screams something at me, but I can’t hear it. My feet fly as I cross the distance to the house. My heart is beating like it might stop at any second and I gasp for breath. Not from the run, but from the sight before me: my sister’s lifeless body on a gurney, my parents shuffling after the paramedics.

Mom falls to her knees, tears streaming down her face, eyes red. Dad caresses her. When he realizes I’m standing there, frozen, he looks up at me and I feel my heart break.