As I motioned them inside, my brain screamed at me that this was it. They were about to reveal the worst news I could possibly receive.
After they walked through the door, I shut it behind them and guided them to the living room off to the right of the foyer.
Unable to move any further, I stood in the doorway of the room and waited for them to speak.
“Is your husband’s name Andrew DeLuca?” Tisdale asked.
I could only nod my head in response. I knew where this was going, and I wanted him to get to the part that I didn’t know if I could handle hearing.
“Do you have any children?” he asked.
Instead of responding, I walked over to the mantle on the fireplace and grabbed the family portrait that we’d had taken for the holidays. I caressed the frame in between my fingers as I walked back towards both of the detectives, glancing down at the photo before I handed it over to him.
“That’s my husband and my son. What’s this about?” I asked as I bit down on my lip to rein in the tears that I felt brimming at my eyelids.
I studied their faces as they both looked down at the photograph. When recognition along with sorrow crossed over their features, I just knew the response to my question was what I feared it would be since their arrival. Only a small part of me now held on to the hope that they’d tell me my family was still alive.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but there’s been an accident. We believe your husband and son were killed in the commission of a robbery,” Detective Tisdale revealed.
And just like that my world as I knew it was over. All that kept replaying over and over inside my head were the words, ‘killed in the commission of a robbery’ killed in the commission of a robbery.’ The words kept repeating themselves, almost driving me to the point of madness. When the reality of the words completely registered, I could no longer stand, and my legs buckled from beneath me. One of the detectives, I wasn’t sure which, caught me before I hit the ground. I could hear him speaking, but I couldn’t register the words. I only heard the same seven words that he repeated moments ago.
’Killed in the commission of a robbery.’
My brain was going into shock. I could feel myself slipping further and further away from the situation. I wanted to deny that they were telling me the truth. That they had the wrong house, but I knew the instant that I saw them on my porch that it was real.
“Mrs. DeLuca, are you alright?” one of the detectives asked, momentarily bringing me back from the state I was in. The detective that caught me from hitting the floor was still holding me upright. If he had let me go, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be laying on the floor curled up in a ball, praying that this was all some crazy dream.
“No, I’m never going to be okay again,” I whispered as I brought my hands up to my face and let the tears fall. Mourning. An emotion I knew all too well, only this time I had no idea how I’d get myself out of permanently remaining in a constant state of mourning. Andrew was the one that pulled me back from the brink when my parents’ died. He’s the one that got me to realize that life was worth living. Now my very reason for breathing had been taken from me by an evil person.
“We’re doing everything we can to apprehend the suspect,” Kendrick reassured.
Wait. What?
“Excuse me. What do you mean you’re doing everything you can to apprehend him? You haven’t caught him yet?” This couldn’t be happening. Not only had my husband and son been murdered, but the man or woman that committed the crime still roamed free.
“He had fled the scene by the time the officers arrived. We have officers out searching as we speak. Roadblocks are set up. We’re going to catch him, Mrs. DeLuca. I can assure you that much,” he promised. A promise he better keep.
“When can I see my husband and my son?” I asked. I needed to see them. To make sure that it was actually them.
“We can take you down to the coroner’s office to identify the bodies. We actually need your confirmation on identification,” he stated.
Numbly, I walked over to the closet in the foyer and retrieved a light coat, a sudden chill passed through me and I needed something to wrap around me in an attempt to warm me.
Walking to the car was a blur. One of the detectives opened the door, motioning for me to get in the back seat. I ducked my head and got inside, leaning my head against the glass and shutting my eyes. This couldn’t be happening to me again. I couldn’t lose them, too. I wouldn’t survive it if I had.
As we arrived at the medical examiner’s office, I let out a deep breath and silently prayed for the strength that I knew I’d need to get through this.
“Is there anyone that we can call so you don’t have to do this on your own? I know this must be difficult for you, and no one should have to do it by themselves,” Tisdale asked. He was probably right about me needing the support, but I wanted to get this over with. I needed to make sure it was Andrew and Liam.
We walked down the cold hallway, our feet echoing off of the walls as we approached the morgue. The white walls coupled with the sounds of our footprints made my heartbeat quicken at the reality of what I was about to endure.
We walked up to a window and stopped, both detectives tapping on the glass. Suddenly a light flickered on and a curtain was being moved. A stocky, middle-aged man stood behind the glass with a white lab coat on overtop of a pair of faded blue scrubs. How my brain had even begun to notice those minute details I couldn’t explain, but for some reason they had become significant.
Both Tisdale and Kendrick stood on either side of me which had me feeling like a caged animal waiting to be released. I wanted to run and hide, never face the situation head on, but I couldn’t. I had to see for myself what I had lost.
With a nod of my head, the coroner walked across the room and wheeled over a metal table, a white cloth covering the body that lay on the top. Swallowing hard, I nodded again to confirm that I was ready to see what was beneath the sheet. He slightly pulled back the sheet and I knew the instant his forehead came into view that it was my Andrew. The scar that was at his hairline gave it away, but I waited with bated breath for the sheet to fully reveal his face. When he’d pulled it all the way back, a gasp escaped my throat and my hands went to cover my mouth. My precious, loving husband laid motionless on the cold, hard metal table and I wanted to hold him one last time. I wanted to rewind time and be the one to go to the store. I wanted my husband back, but it would never happen.
My expression gave away my answer, and he covered Andrew back up. When he went to wheel over the other table I shouted for him to stop. There was no way I could handle seeing my son’s lifeless body lying there. I needed a moment to recoup before I could handle seeing that image.
I shut my eyes and took in a few deep breaths, slowly letting each one out through my mouth.
You can do this, Magdalena. The sooner you confirm, the sooner you can go home and grieve.
Over and over I repeated those two sentences until I felt ready enough to do what I was sure would break me. I opened my eyes and nodded for the coroner to continue. He had already wheeled over the other metal table, and I could tell by the shape of the body underneath the cloth that it was a toddler. I balled my fists on either side of my body and dug my nails into my hands until the pain outweighed the hammering of my heart. I could feel the skin beneath my hands being punctured the harder I tightened my fist, but I couldn’t stop adding more pressure. Anything to help me deal with the pain that I was feeling would help.
I shut my eyes for a second to convince myself even further that I could do this and when I opened them, a sleeping angel laid before me. His hair all ruffled just the way he liked it. The scream that escaped me was the only thing that I registered before my body hit the floor. Instantly I curled into a ball and rocked, the screams still escaping me as one of the detectives touched my arm to console me. No words were needed. I’m sure my reaction spoke volumes and confirmed what they needed to know.
My world as I knew it was altered. Forever. I was officially the cursed woman that fortune teller told me I was. Everyone I loved had officially been taken from me. And the only thing I wanted at that moment was to be going with them to wherever they were right now. Not on this earth to live without them.
Someone was heartless enough to take them from me. My heart would forever be with them. Until we could meet again. That’s the only time I would ever be whole again. The moment I could be reunited with them would be a moment that I longed for. The tears that streamed down my face were all that I could feel right now. I didn’t register the detectives picking me up off of the floor and carrying me to the car. The only thing on my mind in the here and now was figuring out how I could join them someday. I’m sure that dying of a broken heart was possible. And that’s most likely what would occur. This curse had officially broken me. Fortune teller-7. Me-dead on the inside.
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Acknowledgments
These are always so hard to write. I always feel like I’m going to forget someone. But, here goes nothing.
To my family, thank you for always supporting and believing in my dreams.
To Silla, you rock. Thank you burning the midnight oil with me to ensure this book released on time and for your amazing edits and encouraging words.
To Give Me Books, thank you for working with me and for everything you did to make this release the best it could be.
To all of the bloggers, thank you for everything you do!
To my readers, thank you for your continued support. I hope you have your tissues handy because I’ve been told this book is a tearjerker.
Also by A. M. Guilliams
THE BEAUTIFULLY SERIES
Beautifully Tainted
Beautifully Together
Beautifully Masked
THE EXISTING SERIES
Desolate
Conflicted
Destined
THE PROTECTOR TRILOGY
The Beauty of Tomorrow
STANDALONES
Hidden Paradise
Bring Me Back Here
The Right Mistake
COMING SOON
The Pain of Yesterday
The Turmoil of Today
Four Meaningful Words Page 12
