Liam’s POV “I can have the movers there as soon as this afternoon,” Markus said. “I just need to know the date and time Aria plans on leaving.” “What are you talking about?” I asked. This was probably bait he was dangling, to drag me into another conversation. But where Aria was concerned, I had
Aria’s POV Perhaps, in my fear of having lost the check, I was irrational, but given all that Anthony had already done to me, I immediately looked at him with suspicion. After all, he’d already stolen my pens. Why wouldn’t he take a check worth so much? “Did you take it?” I demanded. “I didn’t
Joe’s POV “No way,” William said, his face scrunched up. “This is fake. Has to be.” “It looks real to me,” Joe countered. He didn’t have a lot of experience in these things, but it seemed official enough to him. There were numbers printed on the bottom and someone had signed it. The handwriting
Annoyance flickered within me. How many nights had I stayed up hoping to talk to Liam only for him to arrive too tired to speak? How many times had I put the effort in, wanting to talk to him, wanting to work things out, only for him to not be there? Now, the one time I had something of my own to
Aria’s POV With great difficulty, I managed to arrive at Markus’s manor without speeding or running any traffic lights or stop signs. Despite the adrenaline coursing through my body and my strong desire to get this over with, I still somehow prioritized my wellbeing first. The gate to Markus’s e
Aria’s POV When I arrived home, I sat in the car in the parking lot for a few minutes, trying to calm myself. My speaking with Markus did little to help the situation. He thought I was a liar, pretending to have lost the check. He wouldn’t listen to me tell him I wasn’t interested in his money.
Aria’s POV I talked with Joe for a while, eventually convincing him that he wasn’t entirely responsible for Liam leaving. He was still determined to accept some blame, despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise. Likely only Liam would be able to convince him otherwise. Over the course of
Aria’s POV One moment, I was resting my eyes on the couch. The next, I was blinking awake in my bed, the morning light creeping in through my windows. How had I gotten here? Liam. It had to be. I wasn’t a sleepwalker, and no one else would have had the strength to carry me. He had tucked me in,
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