<h4>Chapter 725: 725-My Brother’s Tattoo</h4>


    <strong>Emmet:</strong>


    "Do you want toe home?" Maximus asked on the call.


    It had been a few hours since Hnie left with her mother. I hadn’t been able to fullye to terms with the fact that I blew it all up. I hade home afterst night, locked myself in my room, and started drinking.


    Azura knocked on the door a few times, but I didn’t respond. Just the thought of Azura being happy that Hnie was out of the way angered me. I didn’t want to see her face. I didn’t want her to have the satisfaction that just because Hnie was gone, she got to be with me now.


    "No, I cannot," I said, holding a bottle in my hand, "It’s okay, Maximus. You can me me for her leaving," I said, taking steady breaths.


    "I’m not ming you. I’m not using anyone. But I just want to remind you that the sole reason behind Hnie leaving is our mother. I know, I know, you always want to look into factual things. You always want solid facts. But let’s not forget, our mother isn’tpletely innocent either. And I know Hnie’s mother has done some fucked-up things, but that was only to our mother. And the way she did it– I don’t know. If Hnie trusts her, I trust her."


    I smiled at my brother. He was all grown up now, he was so confident, and now it seemed like he was also independent. He was making decisions without being influenced, and that was admirable.


    But sadly, I could not be given the same luxury.


    "I appreciate it, Maximus. You standing on her side, you giving me a chance to return. But there are some things that you will not understand. There are some things that I don’t understand about myself. So I need a moment to rx and understand what I’m doing. But don’t worry, I’ll stay in contact," I said, reassuring him that just because Hnie was gone didn’t mean I would cut my ties with him.


    "You’re my little brother, and I love you a lot," I reminded him.


    I heard him crack a littleugh, more like augh of relief. But I knew we were all dying inside. Hnie leaving us had left us in such a daze that we couldn’t heal from it.


    "How is Norman?" I asked.


    "I don’t know, man. He’s a mess. He won’t talk to any of us. He’s just standing in the backyard, probably thinking she’ll return," I heard Maximus’s voice crack a little, and it cracked my heart too.


    It was all because of me. Even if he didn’t believe it, it was all because of me.


    "Anyway, I’ll go take care of Dad. He’s not holding up well either. He’s not saying anything. So I don’t know if he’s upset that she didn’t tell him the truth or if he’s upset that she didn’t wait for him and left. I don’t know. It’s just like everyone is broken. And then there’s Charlotte’s mother. She’s missing. So that’s another issue. We need you here, brother. We really need you," Maximus said.


    The tiredness in his voice made me wonder if Norman had not been able to be fully present for them. And I understood. I didn’t me him.


    "Okay. I’ll being back. Just give me a few days," I said, giving up on my ego and deciding to return.


    I couldn’t just sit in the chair and expect everyone to believe that there were loose ends I needed to tie before epting any me. I needed to go back and put in the work, now more than ever.


    "Thank you so much," Maximus said as he ended the call.


    And that was when Azura knocked on the door again.


    "What is it, Azura? I told you to leave me alone for some time," I yelled, annoyed.


    I never lose my patience, but sometimes she really pushes my buttons. It was strange that I used to feel so guilty about her dying, and missed her so much, to the point that now that she’s alive, I feel like I cannot breathe in her presence.


    And then there is Hnie. She is in my head, in my heart, in my vision. Everywhere I look, it’s just Hnie and Hnie.


    "I just wanted to say that your brother is here to see you," she voiced meekly from the other side, and I grew attentive.


    "What? Let him in." I got up quickly, put the bottles aside, and rushed to the door.


    "Norman—" As soon as I opened the door and said that, I stopped speaking. It was Kaye. He rushed in while Azura tried to sneak a look at us.


    Kaye did not look like he hade for a rendezvous. His face was sweaty in winter, even though he was wearing a thin ck shirt.


    "Kaye, what’s going on?" I asked him, trying to close the door when Azura stepped in.


    "Is everything okay? Does he need something?" she asked, her eyes moving too quickly, as if she were trying to gather as much information about Kaye’s situation as she could.


    "Azura, it’s fine. I’ll deal with him," I said, cing my hand on the door frame, subtly blocking her way in.


    She noticed my hand, then raised her eyes to me. There were so many questions andints.


    "Please," I said, trying to sound gentler.


    "Okay," she said, stepping back so I could close the door.


    I closed the door quickly so she wouldn’t see what we were doing, then turned to Kaye. I already knew he was here for something urgent from his bodynguage. Kaye is usually still and stiff, so the way he was anxiously rubbing his palms, his neck, and then his face told me it was very serious.


    "What is it?" I asked, and he began to point at his neck.


    "This thing, this tattoo," he said, stuttering, leaving space in every sentence, in every word he spoke.


    "Yeah, you got itst year," I said, and he began to shake his head.


    "No, I did not." I felt the weight of his words right into my heart from the way he spoke up.