Aria’s POV “Oh, no, I’m so sorry,” I said, moving forward at once, napkin forward at the ready. Joe looked up. “Sorry, mister.” The man accepted the napkin, then started to clean off his knee. “It’s alright, kid. It happens to the best of us. Though now you don’t have any ice cream.” “Yeah,”
Aria’s POV I didn’t know what possessed me to say yes. Catching up with an old friend was great, but 11pm was pretty late for a phone call. Maybe I just wanted a distraction. With everything going on with Liam and Joanna and now Markus, I felt overwhelmed and trapped. All night, I’d been waiting
Aria’s POV I was hoping that by the weekend, Liam would have enough time and energy to talk about everything, but on late Friday night, he apologized. “I’m going to have to work this weekend,” he said. Disappointment filled me, and I knew the kids would be upset too. Liam had promised to make
Liam’s POV I looked down at Aria with confusion. Why was she telling me to back off? I was her husband. This friend of hers, who did he think he was butting in? Taking my family out to lunch? Yes, I’d been working a lot, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up the right to be Aria’s father a
The kids whispered to each other while sneaking looks at Samuel. Samuel, politely, pretended not to notice, but I could see, even if the kids were blind to it, that he occasionally caught them looking. “Joe. William,” I said in my most motherly tone of voice. “Be polite.” “It’s fine,” Samuel sai
Aria’s POV After lunch, Samuel and I take the kids to the park where we had reunited so that William and Joe could run around and burn off some of their high energy. Samuel and I sat on a nearby bench, watching. This distance allowed Samuel and me to speak more directly, without worrying about t
Aria’s POV After the kids are tucked into bed, I headed down to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. I reasoned that Liam would want to talk soon, as he’d been shooting glares at me all afternoon. This was a conversation I only wanted to have while caffeinated. “Who was that man?” Liam asked f
Aria’s POV “Joe?” I asked, knocking lightly on the door. “Can I come in?” “I’m sleeping,” Joe called back. “Honey, I know that’s not true.” A moment’s pause was the only reply. Then, at last, Joe said, “Okay.” Opening the door, I walked into the room. The lamp on Joe’s nightstand was cli
Aria’s POVSeeing William and Joe safe and sound at that table sent a rush of relief through me so quickly that I very nearly lost my balance. Liam, as if noticing, placed a hand at the small of my back just in time to keep me upright.I didn’t have time to think about anything else going on, or how
Joe remembered all the lessons about stranger danger. He knew they shouldn’t accept things from people that they didn’t know or trust.Even accepting this pie was probably a bad idea, though Joe thought that so long as they stayed in the diner, it would be okay.He kept glancing at the door.William
Aria’s POVIn our search for the children, we traveled along the roads to the park. There, I searched the kids’ favorite play areas: behind the slide, around the swings, near the seesaws and the jungle gym.William and Joe were nowhere to be found. Likewise, I saw no evidence that they had been here
Joe’s POVWhen William told Joe he was leaving, Joe knew he couldn’t let William go alone. The world was a dangerous place, and William was far too confident about things. Plus, with how William was talking, he sounded like he wasn’t planning on coming back.Joe hoped to convince him differently.So
Aria’s POVFor most of the day, I did my best to avoid Liam, but it was difficult. He seemed to be doing the same, giving me the space I requested, yet every once in a while, we’d find ourselves entering the same room or hallway, or going the same way toward the stairs.There was an awkward moment o
Aria’s POVBitter thoughts of Markus made me feel sick, but I pushed those dark feelings away and turned off the television again. With Markus gone, he could never hurt anyone ever again. He couldn’t haunt or stalk us.Liam might have already made his choice, but at least the children and I would be
Liam’s POV“Isabelle, I just need to talk to Aria,” I said, pleadingly. “If you just tell me where she is –”“Then you’ll continue to bother her.” Isabelle, arms crossed, glared at me in open disgust and distain. “She told me what she saw. And it makes me feel a thousand times worse, for having told
Liam’s POVI took my own car to Mr. Peters’ office. Several times on the route, I nearly turned and drove home instead, desperate to talk to Aria. Once, I stopped so long at a red light that Joanna called me on the phone.“Your father is dead, Liam. You have an obligation to him now. Aria will still
“I’m so sorry,” Isabelle said, her face downtrodden, her own make staining streaks down her face. We must have looked like quite the pair. It’d be laughable if my heart wasn’t so very heavy. “I totally misread the entire situation. When I saw that ring…”“How could you think anything but what you di