Annelise

Chapter Four

WHEN WORD CAME of Emilia's death, Pierce did not know how to react.

The police showed up at his doorstep the following morning, explaining how she had been stabbed in the stomach during a mugging, three blocks away from Pierce's apartment. Rather than horrified, he was, in fact, shell-shocked. Annelise, however, burst into tears upon hearing the news. For some reason, she felt as if it was her fault.

Pierce grew even more agitated as Adam demanded to know why his fiancée was at his apartment last night. But rather than aggrieved, the man was shattered. Apparently, he did love her, after all. Their would-be marriage was not the sham Pierce had concluded it as long ago.

Annelise, a picture of fragility as she hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth on the couch. "I shouldn't be here," she muttered, almost unintelligibly. "I should go."

Pierce frowned and tried his hardest to soothe his distressed daughter, who could not understand why there were police officers in their home. "Shh, darling. Look—they're leaving now. Everything will be alright."

She wiped away the snot on her face with the back of her tiny hand.  "They mentioned Aunty Em, didn't they? Is she okay?"

He stilled. Pierce did not want to lie to his child, but she was far too young to know the truth. Rather than force himself to choose between the two alternatives, he changed the subject. "Lila, you need to get ready for school now," he digressed. "Quickly. Go have a shower and then come have your breakfast or we're going to be late. Wouldn't want Annelise here to get in trouble with your teachers now, would you?"

Lila's eyes flickered towards the blonde in question. She particularly favored Annelise over most people, despite not knowing her for long, and disliked having to disappoint her. "No," she grumbled, before trudging off in the direction of the bathroom.

Pierce swiveled around, his sharp gaze set on Annelise. "And you. Please stop beating yourself up about this. It was not your fault." He sat down beside her, his awkward hands lingering in the air, unsure of whether he should use them to comfort her or not.

"I know..." she murmured, staring at the ground stubbornly. "But I think I've overstayed my welcome. I could probably afford a cheap one-bedroom apartment now. Obviously, not in this area, but I'm sure I could find a job wherever I move, thanks to you."

He was not sure why, but he hated the idea of Annelise leaving. It was rather ironic, since he was so reluctant about her stay, in the first place. Pierce shook his head. "That's not necessary. I promised I'd support you until you could get back on your feet, and I'll see it through till the end."

He took her short nod as acceptance, and stood up. "I'm going to make breakfast. Are you fine to take Lila to school today? I'll understand if you're not."

"No, no..." she smiled weakly. "I'd be happy to."

It was three nights later, that Pierce was running incredibly late from work, but for a number of reasons. It was six o'clock by the time he finished up at the office and lumbered into the parking lot to get his car. He found himself yawning as he drove through the evening rain, but kept blinking in order to stay alert. He would need to have a good long rest when he got home. It was dangerous to drive while fatigued.

The radio was humming a country song Pierce could barely hear when his car jerked to a stop in the middle of the bridge. And there, standing on the wrong side of the railings, was a man with his arms thrown out. A man, who he undoubtedly recognized it to be Adam Watts.

Pierce jumped out of his car, shooting daggers with his eyes at those who blared their horns at him. "Adam?" he exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing?"