Chapter 438
+25 BONUS
The thing I’ve been chasing for years… just dropped into my inbox like some sketchy mystery gift.
At first, I was excited. But then confusion hit me.
Why now? Why this random person? And how did he even know what I was looking for?
The accident happened forever ago–over a decade. Why had this person been sitting on that missing page for so long? Was it even real? Or was this some kind of weird trap?
A million questions ran through my head, but honestly, I couldn’t let this go. No matter what.
My hands were shaking as I typed back: [When can we meet?]
No response.
I waited, like, five seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Who even was this person? When did he add me?
I checked his profile and realized he’d friended me a while back, and I’d even left a note: [Officer Sawyer.]
Right. He had sent a friend request ages ago, but I’d forgotten about it.
So, this was the officer in charge of my parents‘ case? My pulse picked up again, hard.
I fired off another message: [Officer Sawyer, I’d like to meet you.]
The app showed he was typing. My heart was in my throat.
[Wait for my call.]
Four little words. Simple, but they hit like a ton of bricks.
I quickly replied: [Okay.]
Then… nothing. I stared at the screen, feeling everything–excitement, anxiety, and something darker creeping in. Dread.
All the warnings from Thorsten, Matthew’s weird advice to drop this, the missing page, Hayden’s dad being involved… it had all been messing with my head. And now, this missing page felt like a ticking bomb. But who was gonna get blown up?
I didn’t know, and honestly, I was too scared to even guess. Still, the more freaked out I got, the more determined I was to see this through.
When Hayden came back, I was out on the balcony, trying to figure out if I should tell him or keep this to myself.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” Hayden asked as he stepped outside, all cool and fresh from his shower.
I wrapped my arms around him. “Couldn’t sleep.”
His heartbeat was steady against my ear, but it only made mine race even faster.
His hand gently rested on top of my head. “Something bothering you?”
I paused, biting my lip. Should I tell him? It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him–I totally did. But this?
+25 BC
Chapter 438
Ever since I started digging into my parents‘ accident, nothing had been easy. And now that I was so close to the truth, I was terrified I’d screw it up.
Even though I trusted Hayden with everything, a tiny part of me hesitated. I mean, this involved his dad
too.
I pressed my cheek against his chest. “No, just texting Lena. She didn’t respond, so I came out here, hoping to run into her.”
Hayden didn’t push. He just kept stroking my hair. After a beat, he said softly, “It’s late. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Carry me to bed,” I teased, trying to shake off the tension.
Without missing a beat, Hayden scooped me up and carried me inside.
Just as we left the balcony, I heard the sliding door next door open. I didn’t bother looking to see if it was Lena or Nate.
STARE
That night, I barely slept. Neither did Hayden. But he didn’t say anything, just held me close, patting my back in the quiet darkness.
Chapter 439
