Winter's Love

Prologue

Her blonde locks were a mess. She kept running her fingers through it in an attempt to calm her nerves. Her eyes were red, tired looking. Her blue eyes were always full of life dulled. It was the first time Emma saw her sister looking like she was at wits ends.

She wanted to help, but she didn't know how to help her sister.

"You need some time for yourself. Time to figure things out." Emma suggested.

Her advice was simple and not helpful at all. She was aware of that, but it was all she could offer to comfort her sister. Sara seemed to appreciate it. Through the tiredness a little smile showed, lighting up her face a little more.

"I do need some time to myself." Sara acknowledged.

A tired sigh followed, she stepped away from the tall window and walked over to the round dining table where Emma was seated with a cup of tea. Sara sat down beside her, cupping her tall mauve-colored mug with both hands. Her eyes were trained on the steam coming off the hot liquid.

"But I have Faith to take care of. I can't stop for a minute and just take a breath, you know. I have to find a way to work a fulltime job, take care of my baby, take care of the household while he gets to walk away because this life is too suffocating for him? Why can he just walk away from it all? What right does he have?"

Sara was close to breaking point again. She reached out for her sister, placing a hand on Sara's arm to let her know she wasn't alone. Sara had a lot on her plate while her lousy husband dared to walk away from it all because he wasn't happy anymore. He needed time and space.

It was a cowardly thing to do, but Emma held her tongue. It wasn't the time to bash Thomas. She didn't need that right now. She needed comfort and safety. She needed to know she wasn't alone. Emma squeezed her arm gently, flashing her a warm smile.

"You have a lot on your plate."

Sara nodded, her eyes closed as she tried to hold back her tears. The shaking of her shoulders giving away the sadness though. Emma couldn't watch this, she couldn't watch her sister fall apart. It was a blessing Faith was currently at a friend's house. She didn't need to see her mother fall apart. When Sara was ready she'd talk to Faith and explain things to her. For now, it was just the two of them, trying to figure this dire situation out.

"Would you call me crazy if I suggested that for a few months Faith stays with me?" Emma asked.

Sara's eyes snapped open, her blue eyes wide with surprise, "You're moving to that little town in the middle of nowhere."

Sara didn't reject the idea, she just sounded worried. Emma could work with that.

"New beginnings, it might just be what we all need right now."

Her sister took a deep breath, her shoulders no longer up till her ears. She looked calmer, the tiredness still there yet it didn't look like her sister would disappear from the face of the earth. Sara reached for her cup, took a sip of her warm tea.

She then lowered the cup and smiled, "I guess you're right."