by Jolene Faye
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The soft shutter of her own tears awoke her as the loss of warmth from his body and the images of Cole walking away from her filled her mind. Opening the soaked lids of her eyes, Sybil stared into the darkness trying to clear the ghosts of her dreams from her mind. Her hand rose slowly to her lips, pressing soft against the warm moisture coating them as she sat up in the darkness of the unfamiliar room. Blinking slowly against the soft glow of moonlight, Sybil scanned the furnishing of the room remembering the weight of the journey to town that morning. She had thought it part of a dream as she turned letting her legs fall over the edge of the bed. Walking around the small room, the coolness of the autumn night caressed over the warmth of her chest. Fingering at the unlaced ribbon, Sybil's mind turned back to the lingering dream remembering the softness of Cole's hands as he untied her gown and caressed her slowly. Warm, wet tears trickled over her cheeks again as she tied the ribbon back in place and opened the bedroom door. As the low creak of the next door echoed in the silence of the house, Sybil smiled watching the small figures turn and snuggle under the quilt she'd mended so carefully over the years. Tiptoeing quietly, Sybil sat on the side of the bed and ran her fingers through the soft curls of her daughter's hair. The chorus of her own breathing mixing with the softness of the girls' breaths filled her mind as she sat quietly watching Rose and Elizabeth sleep. Rose had been the most important part of her life the past few years, but still the tears fell for the loss of Cole. While her first thoughts of him planning to take away her daughter chilled her to the core, Sybil couldn't forget the dreams and hopes she'd had of them marrying and raising her together. It made sense didn't it? If he truly loved her as much as he said he did, they could marry and raise both their children. If she had told him how much she loved him, would he have stayed?
Sybil stood quietly watching the ragged rise and fall of his chest as his body sunk into the darkness of the stuffed chair. She had always admired him, adored him and at one point in time thought she had loved him, but all she felt now was pity and sadness. She had always dreamt of the day he'd divorce Jane and come back to her. What other man in his right mind would want to marry a woman and raise not one, but two children that were not his own? Jed's son, her mind answered quietly as she recognized the similarities of their features. He had hurt her so many times, choosing Jane over her, but as she nibbled softly on her lip Sybil realized she'd always loved him. Yes, she loved him but her heart told her it was never a love like she had for Cole. Remembering back over all the years, Sybil always felt close to Robert. After all he was the son of the man who'd saved her life and took her in as the daughter he'd never had. Next to Little Feather, he had been her closest friend over the years. Sybil exhaled quietly as she lowered to her knees in front of the chair, resting her elbows on his knees as she watched him sleep. For so long she had wanted him, wanted to be Mrs. Robert Wilks, but now her heart wasn't sure. How could she marry Robert when every fiber of her yearned for Cole.
