Tiny Crown

Chapter 28

Emilia stared at Evan as he walked towards the house. He stood a few feet behind his mother and his half brother before speaking.
“Emilia,” he said. She was thrown off by the sudden chest pain. “These are yours.” He almost pushed his mother away as he stood on the doorstep and held out her medication and her keys. Emilia went to grab them but Kat stopped her.

“Evan!” yelled Melissa. Her brown eyes narrowed at Evan. “How dare you, you fucking idiot?” Evan flinched at her loud voice but carried on holding them out for Emilia. Ducking under her aunt’s arm, Emilia grabbed them from him. She noticed his sleeves were rolled up. He smiled a little and then flinched as his mother shouted at him. “I am your mother, are you even listening to me? They think you kidnapped her niece!”

Evan turned and stared at his mother. “I did take her, I panicked when you hit her with your car and I didn’t know what to do and took her with me.”
“Evan Harper, you will listen to your mother!” Emilia saw the anger in his eyes before he turned and grabbed Melissa Harper by the throat.
“You are not my mother,” he spat. “Why did you want to do it?”
“Do… what?” she said as she struggled to get his hand from around her throat.

Not sure of what else to do, Mr Miranda stepped out from behind the two females and tried to separate the two. Nathan tried to separate them by hitting Evan. Emilia just grabbed her aunt’s hand with her free hand, she didn’t know what else to do. He was angry.

“Why did you want her dead?”
“She was like you,” she managed to squeak out. Evan’s eyes widened.
“Evan, stop,” shouted Emilia. As much as she hated Melissa, she couldn’t watch Evan strangle her. “You don’t need to make things worse.” His head snapped towards her and his fingers let go of Melissa’s throat. He took a step away from them and held his arm with the other one, covering the scar there. Nathan rushed to his mother’s aid like the perfect son.

“My mother’s dead.”

He took another step back.

“She died Friday at half one, when Nathan stopped me from leaving.” Emilia looked up at him and looked into his blue eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” He meant it but it offered no comfort. Emilia realised her aunt had let go of her hand. Turning, she could see her on the phone in the kitchen. Looking back, Melissa and Nathan had moved away from the door, Emilia was thankful they had done so.

Evan shook his head. “I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn’t.”
“I know.” He let go of his arm and put his hand in his pocket. Evan’s eyes widened.
“This is also yours,” he said as he fumbled to pull whatever it was out of his pocket. He stepped towards her and held it out to her with his thumb and index finger.

Her ring.

“It was by the front door,” he said.
Emilia took it from him. “Thank you, Evan.”

She could see several police cars blocking the driveway now but she wasn’t too bothered. She could explain everything that had happened to her when the crazy family was away from her.

Looking down at her hand, she smiled. She had her mother’s gift back, her ring was safe.