Arranged marriage: Skeletons(sequel)

Chapter 26

Riley watched the tiny baby girl, quietly sleeping in it's glass house. She just stared, but her eyes were not seeing the baby. Instead, they saw Layla- her Layla. Out of breath and bloody, scared and exhausted, calling out to Riley, telling her that she loved her with every piece of her heart. Smiling through the pain as she whispered her last words. "Be good to our little angel, love. Tell her that mommy loves her, and that I love you like I've never loved before."

Tears flowed down her cheeks in an unstoppable waterfall as she stood there. The baby looked just like her, just as Layla had wanted. "A mini Riley" she would say. But somehow Riley still saw her Layla in the child. If you really looked close enough, you'd see Layla's cute little frown, the furrowed eyebrows as she would sleep. Her nose that would occasionally scrunch up before she stirs in her sleep. The colour of her skin. How possible can it be? Riley wondered.

"I want to give you a piece of me, one that contains not just mine, but yours as well," her lover had once said with a cute smile as she rubbed her belly, watching Riley rush around her kitchen trying to make her the different meals she would crave for. A part of her- her Layla. Suddenly, she knew exactly what to name their baby girl.

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Max looked at the untouched yet capless cold bottle of beer. He felt empty, painfully so. Melody (I hope I got her name right) silently watched him from the door leading into the living room. He hadn't moved. He had just sat there and stared at the bottle, but she knew that he was aware of her presence.

"You know, Layla loved getting drunk at parties, but she could never open her own bottle," He said quietly, almost inaudible. Melody took it as a sign to move into the room, so she did. Max didn't turn to look at her, not even as she sat down beside him.

"She'd always make Riley open it for her," he continued, eyes unblinking. Melody let him speak. He hadn't spoken nor said anything ever since they got the news. Max was at the hospital with Riley, Melody and Jude. When a doctor told them the sad news, Jude cried out loud and Melody tried to calm her down as best she could while also shedding a tear. But the two friends didn't cry. They just... froze. After some time they turned to give each other a look that seemed to have been whole conversation. Max took a step closer to Riley who took a step back before walking away from them all.

When they came back to the house, Max refused to speak, so Melody let him be. But now, it seemed that he was finally allowing himself to feel it, speak it, digest and hopefully accept it.

"One time, she tried mixing alcohol with marshmallows and Riley scolded her," he continued, laughing painfully as his tears finally broke loose. Melody pulled him into a hug, feeling his body shake as he sobbed loudly. Her heart broke for him, for Riley and the baby.

"But now she's gone," Max cried out, repeating the words over and over again as if saying them out loud will take away the pain. Melody let him pour it all out. He pushed himself out of her hold and stood up in a hurry, picking up the bottle of beer and throwing it on the wall. The liquid painted the wall, the pieces of glass kissing the floor.

He let out a loud cry, fisting him hands as he started grabbing anything he could lay his hands on.

"How could you Layla?! How could you fucken leave me like this?!" he yelled, Melody stepping aside in fear of getting harmed in his outburst because she knew he'll feel extremely guilty once the anger-coated pain subsided.

"Why the fuck-"

He lifted one of the couches and flipped it, a loud sound echoing in the room as it banged on the floor.

"would you leave me?!"

It was painful, heartbreakingly sore. Watching him, hearing him. It hurt Melody. Because not only was she hearing his pain, but now she was seeing it as he continued to yell out in anger, destroying more things in the house. She let him be, allowing him to let out as much of his pain as he was willing to let out. Hopefully, this would help him heal. She just couldn't help wondering how Riley was doing.

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"Have you thought of a name for her?" Mariposa- Riley's mother asked her daughter in a gentle whisper as they both sat watching the peacefully sleeping baby. She was sure that they weren't allowed to stay this long, but Riley had refused to leave her daughter's side, afraid of losing her and facing her reality, the reality of a dead Layla.

Riley simply responded with a small nod, eyes fixated on her daughter. She looked so small and so vulnerable it made her heart ache. Layla would be so happy to know that she survived, their little angel, her princess.

"Lily," she finally said.

"Lilly Brown."

"That's a beautiful name," Mariposa said with a sad smile, tears escaping her eyes as she looked at her daughter. Her heart broke for her. She has been through so much and not enough time to enjoy her life. She felt at fault. She should've known Layla wasn't going to make it. She should've done something, anything.

"It's not your fault," Riley continued to speak, her face slowly turning to face her, eyes dark and exhausted. It was as if she had just read her mind.

"It's mine," she continued, this time in a sad whisper as tears built up in her eyes, forming a thick glass.

"I should've protected her," she continued, crying now.

Mariposa pulled her into a hug, letting her cry in silence.

"It's not your faulty dear, there's nothing you could've done. Nothing at all."