Chapter 215 Something to be grateful for

Chapter 215 Something to be grateful for
Lisa

The moment I pulled my front door open, I was already so consumed by nerves that I couldn’t sit still. My heart was hammering a relentless rhythm against my ribs, my lungs burning from the frantic run all the way from the school gates. 

But whatever breath I had left vanished the exact second Tobias’s eyes slid to mine across my front lawn.

He was leaning heavily against the driver’s side of his car, his shoulders slouched in a crestfallen, defeated way I had never seen before. 

His face was pale, his jaw lax, and his dark grey eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red. 

The arrogant, untouchable boy who usually commanded every room he walked into was completely gone. In his place stood someone entirely shattered.

I rushed down the porch steps, my feet barely touching the concrete until I reached him, instinctively taking his cold face in my trembling hands.
“Hey,” I breathed, my voice shaking as my thumbs brushed over his cheeks. “Are you... are you okay?”

His eyes met mine, and the absolute, raw agony swimming in them nearly broke me on the spot.
“Lisa.”
His voice was hoarse, thick with whatever suffocating emotion plagued him, and the broken sound of it instantly pulled hot tears into my own eyes.
“Come on, baby,” I whispered softly, lacing my fingers through his cold ones. “Let’s go inside.”

He didn't argue. He followed me like a ghost, his steps heavy and slow as I led him up the driveway, through the front door, and into the quiet warmth of my living room. I guided him gently toward the couch, placing my hands on his shoulders until he sank onto the cushions.

Before he could even speak, I rushed into the kitchen, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped the glass as I filled it with cold water from the tap. 

I hurried back, setting the glass on the coffee table right in front of him.

Tobias hadn't moved an inch. He was sitting on the edge of the cushions, his elbows resting on his knees, his face completely buried in his broad hands. His shoulders were tense, locked tight under his jacket.

“Tobias,” I called softly, standing a few feet away, completely torn.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to wrap my arms around him, or step back and give him space to breathe. I had seen him angry, I had seen him confused, and I had seen him sad—but I had never seen him this broken. 

For a terrifying split second, my mind flashed to his memory loss. Had his past suddenly crashed back into his head all at once? Was he drowning in the weight of everything he had forgotten? But even then, he wasn't supposed to look this devastated.

I took a cautious step closer, lowering my voice to a gentle, soothing murmur. “I’m here if you need anything, Tobias. We don’t have to talk right now. We can just sit here in silence if you want.”

He slowly lifted his head, and the sight of clear tears tracking down his flushed cheeks made me gasp aloud.

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. I shifted closer instantly, dropping to my knees right in front of the couch. “Tobias!”

“Lisa... what do I do?” he growled, his voice cracking down the middle, a low, painful sound that tore from deep within his chest.
“What do I do now, Lisa?” he begged again, staring at me with a desperate, lost expression that terrified me to my core.

I reached up, holding his face in my hands once more, my own tears spilling freely over my eyelashes now. “What happened? Please tell me, Tobias. What’s going on?”

He let out a shuddering breath, leaning his heavy head forward until his forehead rested against mine. “My parents,” he choked out, his hands coming up to grip my wrists so tightly it almost hurt. “They’re getting a divorce.”

A cold stillness settled over the room. I blinked, my heart dropping straight into my stomach. “What?”
“They called me to dinner downtown,” he whispered, his voice trembling as he spoke the words he clearly didn't want to accept. “I thought... I thought it was just a normal family dinner. But they sat me down and told me it’s over. The house is being sold. They finalized the papers today.”

More tears spilled from his bloodshot eyes, and he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his broad frame trembling with silent, heavy sobs.

Tobias had never cried in front of me. Not when he was recovering in the hospital, not when his memory was wiped clean, and not when the pressure of the team was crushing him. 

To feel him breaking down like this in my arms was overwhelming. It tore through my chest, making my own tears fall even faster as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, holding him close, burying my fingers in the soft hair at the back of his neck.

“I don't understand,” he muttered against my skin, his chest heaving. “I looked up to them, Lisa. My whole life, I thought... I thought their marriage was solid. I thought they were perfect. I wanted what they had. I wanted that kind of home for myself one day. And now it’s just... gone. It was all a lie.”

“Oh, Tobias...” I whispered, kissing the side of his temple, rocking him gently back and forth.
“Do you know why?” I asked softly, pulling back just enough to look at him, my thumbs wiping away the moisture under his eyes. “Did they tell you why they’re doing this?”

Tobias shook his head slowly, staring blankly at the floor. “They said they’ve been miserable for years. They said... they were going to do it a long time ago, but then my accident happened. They stayed together just to take care of me during my recovery.”
He let out a harsh, bitter laugh that was completely devoid of humor. “I guess I actually have something to be grateful to that stupid crash for, right? My parents got to stay together for an extra year because my head was broken.”

“Don't say that,” I cut in firmly, my voice rising with gentle desperation. “Tobias, look at me. Please. Don't ever say that.”