I'm with you

I'm with you
Ashlyn

The Next Day

I woke up earlier than usual, even before my alarm could make a sound. The whole house was wrapped in silence. Even the birds outside the window, which usually filled the morning with their cheerful songs, were unusually quiet, almost as if they, too, could sense the weight in my chest.

When I made my way down to the kitchen, I found Marco already there, quietly making coffee. He was still in his gray shirt and pajama pants, his hair tousled from sleep, but his eyes, sharp and alert met mine with a calm steadiness.

“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” he asked gently, handing me a mug.

I shook my head, wrapping my hands around the warmth of the cup. “I tried to calm my thoughts, but you know how it is, my mind’s everywhere, thinking about everything and nothing.”

He stepped closer and lightly squeezed my shoulder. “I’m here, Sweet. Don’t carry this alone. Whatever it is, however heavy, it’s ours to bear together.”

I couldn’t help but look up at him and smile, even as tears welled in my eyes. “Thank you. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Out of the two of us, I knew he was the most affected by everything that had happened. The most restless, the most shaken beneath the surface. And though I was the one caught in the storm between me and my twin, he was the one who carried the burden of blame.

Because deep down, he knew… It was because of him that Ashley was doing all this.

“Shhh… no drama this early,” he teased softly, pressing his hand gently against my chest. “Save that for your parents. Come on, let’s wake the kids.”

At the Memorial Park...

The air was thick with quiet. The scent of freshly watered grass, mingling with the soft breeze and morning sun, pulled me into a memory. A memory of loss, of pain, of everything that once was, and would never be again.

We walked slowly along the stone path. Marco carried Maya in one arm, while holding Asher’s hand in the other. I clutched the bouquet tightly against my chest: white lilies for Mommy, her favorite, and blue orchids for Daddy, the color he said always brought him peace, a serenity he hoped we would carry within us.

Of course, we also brought flowers for Marco’s parents. I remembered the first time he brought me here. That day, I said yes to being his girlfriend.

He had told me back then he wanted to introduce me to his parents. I had no idea he meant this place. It was also the day I found out… he was an orphan.

I knelt down first at his parents’ graves, offering a quiet prayer. Then I stood and turned to the plot where my own parents lay, side by side, as though death had sealed their unity as one whole family.

I arranged the flowers carefully across the marble and gently reached out to touch the cool stone. My fingers traced their names as if they were faces.

Faces I tried to remember, smiles I could almost still hear at the dinner table.

“Hi, Mommy… Daddy…” My voice trembled in the stillness. “I’m sorry it took me this long to come. I didn’t know how to face this before. I was scared. Scared to feel everything again. Scared to drown in sorrow. But now… I need to talk to you.”

A tear escaped and fell onto the flowers, and I forced a smile despite the lump in my throat.

“I’m about to face Ashley. We’re meeting at our old house. I want to ask you to guide me… to help her find her light again. To help her remember that she’s not alone. That I love her. We- love her."

I looked up at the sky, as if my words might somehow float up and find them.

“And I hope… you can forgive me, too. For all the times I failed you. As your daughter. As her sister.”

Marco sat beside me quietly and took my hand in his. “They’re proud of you, Sweet,” he said, voice low and certain. “I know they are.”

I looked at him. And for a brief, fleeting moment, despite the fear, despite the pain, I felt peace begin to bloom in the cracks of my heart.

I sincerely hope that everything will be okay. That after tomorrow, a new beginning will come our way. Not just for me and my family. But more importantly, to my twin sister.

One more time, I looked into my parents' grave. I vow to do everything in my power to make things go as their hearts desire. And that is, for me and Ashley to be what we were before all of these.

On the drive home...

The car was quiet.

Marco drove while I sat in the back with the kids, both of whom had fallen asleep during the ride. I stared out the window, watching trees blur past, buildings flash by like fading thoughts.

Tomorrow, I will face Ashley. What she chose to do after that was up to her. Whether she’d continue her selfishness or open herself to change, I didn’t know. But I hoped… maybe she would hear me out. Maybe reason and love would reach her.

“Sweet?” Marco’s voice cut through the silence, soft and careful. One hand on the wheel, the other tapping nervously on his thigh. “Are you sure about this?”

I didn’t respond right away. I waited. Waited until I felt a single tear slide down my cheek, and then I turned to him.

“I’m sure it needs to happen. I don’t know what will come out of it... but I do know I can’t keep living in fear.”

He nodded once. “Whatever happens, I’m with you.”

And in that quiet car, with sleeping children and heavy hearts, I held on to those words, I’m with you.

Words that anchored me. Words that reminded me that no matter what happened tomorrow, I wouldn’t be facing it alone.