When I Was Your Man | E x V

e p i l o g u e (a l t e r n a t i v e)

Ethan

*four years later*

The world is so cruel. And I'd do everything in my hands to protect the people that I love.

But I was too late.

One wrong turn, it can kill the most innocent soul.

The most gorgeous soul.

The soul that once belonged to me.

***

I look at the clock, waiting for the long handle to hit the twelve.

Just a few more hours princess, and I'll come to see you.

I fidget with my fingers, unable to think of anything except one thing that's very special to me.

Her.

I never understood why I made the decision to leave her years ago.

But then again, I'm pretty sure her decision of leaving me wasn't a choice.

The clock finally hits twelve, and I stand up. I walk out of the waiting room and head for room 343, where my sister in law is laying there with her baby in her arms.

"Congrats, Ness," I say to her. She smiles, a tear in her eyes.

"Thanks, Ethan," she says. "If only Roni was here."

She looks down at the baby girl, pondering about something that I can't figure out. Behind me, I hear someone walk in.

"Hey bro," Gray says, patting my shoulder.

"Hi."

I step closer to where Nessa and the new baby are laying, looking at the baby's features. "Can I hold her?"

Nessa wipes her tears, before handing me the little baby. I gently take her in my hands like I did when Grant was born, and gently rocked her. 

I look into her eyes as she opens them. She has the hugest light brown eyes and dark brown hair on her delicate head. She curves her mouth which shows her one deep dimple.

She looks just like Roni.

"Welcome to this world, Veronica Jo Dolan," says Grayson. I gasp, looking up at him. Tears start to come out of my eyes.

"You named her after Roni?" I ask both Grayson and Nessa.

"Of course. She might not be with us right now, but she'll always be in our hearts. And this way, we'll have another Veronica always walking around the house and annoying us," says Grayson, wiping a tear. We all silently laugh at the last sentence.

Life really is incomplete without Veronica Jo Merrell.

She didn't change her last name, and I didn't mind. But I wish she did, so everyone who sees her in the cemetery knows that she was once mine.

I look down at baby Veronica, as a flashback comes to my mind.

*two years ago*