Voicemail received.
My chest felt constricted. That crawling sense of wrongness intensified as I hit play and Gary’s voice filled the room, controlled, tense, stripped of warmth.
“Cameron. It’s Gary.”
My shoulders went rigid.
“I’m calling because I need to be clear about something.” A pause. “I spoke to Theo earlier.”
My pulse spiked.
“I told him to stay away from you.”
The words punched the air out of my lungs.
“Not because I think he’s a bad person, but because the situation isn’t fair. He’s older. You’re living under his roof. Whether he means to or not, that gives him power.”
I closed my eyes.
Fuck.
“I don’t think Theo sees how much influence he has over you. And I won’t let you get hurt because of that.” A sharp exhale. “So if he contacts you, or tries to explain himself, be careful. That’s all I’m saying.” A final beat. “I know this drops you in the shit for somewhere to stay, but… I’m doing this because I care about you.”
The voicemail ended.
The flat felt even emptier than before.
My heart pounded as the pieces slammed together.
Theo didn’t leave because he stopped loving me.
He left because someone told him he was dangerous.
Because my brother took care and twisted it into harm. Because he made Theo believe staying was selfish and leaving was protection.
My fingers shook as I typed a message to Gary, doing my best to keep a lid on my rage.
How dare you? How DARE you? And don’t bother replying to this. I won’t answer. I am *beyond* pissed. You had no fucking right.
Once I’d sent it, I forced myself to breathe. I pulled up the portrait of Theo on my phone and stared at it.
“He told you to stay away from me,” I whispered into the quiet room. “So you vanished.”
This isn’t about you.
Theo thought he was doing the right thing.
That knowledge didn’t soften the blow—it sharpened it.
Because I would have chosen him anyway.
I stared at my phone, Theo’s name glowing at the top of my messages. The last exchange stupidly normal. A pizza emoji. A joke.
My thumb hovered.
Just call him.
This is a misunderstanding. You can fix misunderstandings.