My brother laughs hollowly at my words, the sound devoid of any humour. ‘Who told you that? Because it’s not true, he was picked Li, and by a good team. He was picked, and then he refused to sign. He said he wasn’t leaving town, not until he’d seen you. He kept saying that you could still come back, at some point, you might return to him, you just needed more time. He . . . he said that he had be here waiting for whenever that moment was.’
My chest tightens, a phantom weight crushing my ribs as I try to breathe, but the air refuses to enter my lungs.
‘Why . . . why didn’t you tell me?’ I gasp out, the words scratching my throat. ‘Why didn’t you. . .’
‘I tried Li’ Elliott sighs, the sound weary and laden with years of carrying the weight of his friend’s pain. ‘I tried to tell you, every
