"I love you with everything in me, Avery Marie. You would have been it for me. And I know you'll think I'm crazy, but I'm not it for you. And don't get mad," he said, seeing the tension and hurt welling in her eyes, "but neither was Nick. I can see everything so clearly, Avery. You loved us with everything you had, but your soul mate is still out there. You haven't met him, but please, whatever you do, fight for him. I want you to feel everything. I want his love to encompass your world. Don't hold back a piece of yourself. Let him in. It'll be scary, but you've had so much hurt in your life, things from now on can only be good." After his short speech, Declan took a few seconds to stroke away the tears on her cheeks. "I know you'll think I'm crazy, but I swear I dreamt of your family last night. They just stood before me and told me to tell you that they love you and they want you to be happy. I want you to be happy. You deserve that, Avery. I want you to experience true love, get married, and have babies. Even if it isn't with me like I had wished. I know you'll retreat back to yourself when I pass, but I need you to live. Live for me, for Nick, for Aria. But live for you. You only get one chance."
Leaning forward he placed a warm, chaste kiss on her tear-stained lips before resting back onto the bed.
"I love you, Declan. I don't want you to leave me," Avery whispered as he cradled her in his arm, placing her head on his chest.
As Declan drifted off to sleep, she could hear him proclaim, "I will always be with you."
His breath evened out as he fell into a deeper sleep. Rolling out of his embrace, Avery placed both of her feet on the floor, just as his heart monitor chimed into an eerie, flat tone.
Realizing he was gone, all she could do was fall onto her hands and knees beside the bed and sob uncontrollably.
The hospice nurse, Max, and Melanie must have come in at some point because Avery woke to find herself in the bed she used to share with Declan and a bustle of noise coming from the living room.
Collecting as much energy as possible, Avery walked toward the gathering crowd. Melanie rushed forward and pulled her into a tight embrace, offering her condolences. All Avery could do was stare up at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry any longer. Unsuccessful in her attempts to stop the tears, Max joined into their hug as they all wept at the loss of their friend.
Once everyone has cried themselves out, Avery noticed two other people in her home and she looked over to Max and Melanie, raising her shoulder in question and pointing with her head at the unknown guests.
Max jumped in and introduced Mr. Allen and Mr. Rockwell, lawyers for Declan's estate.
Estate? she pondered.
After exchanging their condolences, Avery learned that when Declan's father died, he came into a large inheritance from his grandparents. When Declan was diagnosed, he signed a will leaving all of his assets to her, except his car (a classic GTO), which he left to Max.
Opening the letter that listed all of her assets, Avery was taken aback by the number of zeros listed.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with twenty million dollars?" she exclaimed to the lawyers.
Melanie was mid-drink and at Avery’s outburst, she spit it everywhere, launching herself into a coughing fit.
"Well," one of the lawyers started, "you can save it, spend it, give it away. Whatever you want. It's all in a savings account, waiting for you."
Avery looked over into the stunned faces of Max and Melanie and found herself only shaking her head, desperately trying to shed no more tears.
"I don't want the money. I just want Declan,” she exclaimed as she rushed back to her room to escape the pain and more tears fell down her reddened cheeks.
It was then that Melanie understood completely why Declan’s and Nick’s things were hard to place in boxes, but the worst was putting away Aria’s clothes and toys. Avery hadn’t touched anything after Aria’s passing and packing up each item unleashed a new form of torment.
Avery was at a loss on how to overcome her grief. Everything she had ever loved was constantly being taken from her. She was even at the point of trying to push Melanie and Max away because she was afraid that her love for them would cause them some form of harm. After voicing this to Melanie, she hugged her tight and told her that there was nothing she could do to make her go away, Avery was stuck with her for life.
It took a full week to pack up all Avery’s belongings and place them into the moving truck, which Max so graciously took care of. He also made sure that her beat-up piece of rust would make the long journey to her new home, though he pleaded with her to spend some of her new fortunes on an updated vehicle. They argued and argued, but much to his dismay, Avery wasn’t budging. Mila had bought that car when they had finally saved up three-thousand dollars and this was one of the last things that had belonged to her. She refused to upgrade until she absolutely had to.
Staring at the place that she had once called home, now barren and deserted, her broken heart shriveled up and disintegrated into a pile of ash within her chest. The pain pulsating inside her body ached with such a strong abandon that she collapsed into a heap on the living room floor, gasping for air, pleading for the lives she lost. Avery made promises to a God that she had lost all hope in, but that Mila and Declan had prayed to every night. She beseeched Him to offer her some sort of reprieve from this hell He had placed her in, begging for guidance on how to continue along this miserable and lonely life. She cried out to this God for minutes, or hours - time had lost all indication. No answer ever comes. No sign. No proclamation. Just silence echoing against her strangled sobs.
Melanie finds her alone on the floor, imploring an ethereal being for guidance, and sinks onto the floor next to Avery, wrapping her gently in her arms. Her touch was a loving affection that caused warmth to trickle through Avery’s bones.
Stroking her hair as Avery continued to cry on her shoulder, Melanie whispers, “They’ll always be with you, Avery. This is just a place; you’ll always have the memories. No one can take those away from you.”
Avery’s cries began to lessen and she sits back on her heels, using the heel of her hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“I know you’re right,” Avery chokes out, her voice soft and scratchy. “I know I need to move forward, but I don’t know how. It’s so hard.”
“I don’t think any of us expected it to be anything but hard. But you’ve been doing great, Avery. Max and I are so proud of you.”
Melanie hugs her close again before releasing her so that she can stand up; Avery soon follows.
“Do you think you’re ready now?”
Avery takes a deep breath and looks around the desolate room one last time. “Yes, I think I am.”