Ella stayed close to me even after her crying slowed down, like she was scared that putting space between us would make everything she was feeling come rushing back all at once.
Her head rested lightly on my shoulder, and I could still feel the way her breathing kept catching every few seconds, like her body hadn't fully accepted what had happened.
I didn't move away. I just stayed still with her because anything else felt too harsh for a moment like that. The room was quiet in a way that didn't feel calming, it felt heavy, like even the air had slowed down to match her grief.
After a while she lifted her head and wiped her face again, her hands still shaking slightly even though she was trying to steady herself.
"I feel so stupid," she said quietly, staring at her lap like she couldn't meet my eyes.
I turned a little toward her, my brows drawing together. "Why would you think that?"
She let out a breath that sounded more tired than amused, like she was trying to laugh at herself but couldn't even reach it. "Because I don't understand how everything can just fall apart at the same time and I'm still standing here trying to act normal. It doesn't even feel real."
I stayed quiet for a second because there was nothing about that I could challenge. Some pain didn't make sense, it just existed.
So I just shifted slightly closer so she wouldn't feel like she was alone in it.
"You're not stupid," I said gently. "You're just overwhelmed and trying to survive something that's too much for one moment. Trust me, I've been there"
She didn't respond, but she also didn't argue, which felt like enough for now.
A small silence settled between us again, but this time it wasn't as sharp as before. It was just tired.
Then she spoke again, softer this time.
"I keep seeing him in my head like he's still going to walk in and call me his princess," she said. "And every time I remember he won't, it feels like it happens all over again. Like I'm losing him repeatedly."
That sentence stayed with me longer than I expected it to.
I looked away for a moment, not because I didn't want to hear her, but because I didn't trust my face to stay steady.
I wasn't used to that kind of love, the kind that lives in small names and everyday calls and still stays strong even when everything else breaks. Hearing her talk about her dad like that made something inside me ache in a way I couldn't explain properly.
It also made me think about my own life without warning.
Stephen came back into my mind again, not his voice this time, not even his apology, just the weight of everything he left behind in me. I swallowed it down quickly because I couldn't afford to drift into that space right now.
Ella needed me present, not distracted by ghosts I hadn't dealt with yet.
She suddenly sat up a little straighter and looked at me properly, like she was trying to pull herself back into the moment.
"Sorry for putting all this on you," she said quietly.
My chest tightened immediately at that.
"You're not putting anything on me," I replied. "You didn't choose any of this."
Her eyes softened slightly at that, even if the sadness didn't leave them.
A few seconds passed before she spoke again, her voice lower now.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now," she admitted.
I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my own emotions steady so she wouldn't feel them spilling over.
"You don't have to figure anything out today," I said. "Just stay here for now, eat something later, and take things one moment at a time. That's all you need right now."
She nodded slowly like she was trying to accept that idea, even if it didn't fully make sense to her yet.
For the first time since she came in, her shoulders lowered a little, like her body was finally starting to understand she wasn't alone in that moment.
But even with that small calm settling in, I could still feel everything unresolved sitting underneath it.
Ella's pain wasn't going anywhere.
And neither was mine.
Stephen was still there, somewhere in the background of my thoughts, waiting for me to deal with him properly.
And I already knew that no matter how much I tried to focus on Ella, I couldn't keep ignoring that part of my life forever. And I knew sooner or later I was going to face him, if I want to deal with my ghosts.
For now though, I stayed with her in silence, because that was the only thing that made sense.