“I haven’t played this for anyone, but this is ‘Unscripted’.”
Her voice hit me like a punch to the ribs—same as it always did. Only this time, it cracked. Not off-key, not broken: raw. Shaky in a way that felt...real.
And then, she started singing about us.
About standing at the edge of something and not knowing if it was worth the fall. About me. About everything we almost had, maybe still had, depending on what the hell this was supposed to mean.
By the time she reached the end, I wasn’t sitting anymore. I was up, pacing, hands in my hair, chest burning, trying to make sense of what the hell she was trying to say.
I’m halfway here, caught between the fall and the fear
You’re the risk I want, though I can’t make it clear
My heart’s in overdrive, and I don’t know the plan
I’m scared to jump, but I want to, hand in hand
I’m halfway there, and it’s all unscripted
Wild and unknown, but I don’t want to miss it
God. Was that her way of saying she still wanted me? Not just me—us. She threw it out there like a song for the whole damn world, but every word landed as if she’d carved it straight into my chest.
And I was halfway across the country, trying to figure out if I was already too late to give her the ending she left blank.
FORTY-SIX
Ellie
Ben didn’t saymuch on the drive from the airport to my house, and I was grateful for the quiet. My nerves were loud enough on their own.
The city blurred past the windows, familiar streets soaked in memories. I performed that song last night and hadn’t heard from him. I tried not to overthink it, but I definitely wasn’t doing so hot.
Once we arrived, Ben and I parted ways, and I went to the one thing I knew would distract me.
I opened the journal to the next page and started reading.
I can’t stop hearing him. Even when he’s quiet, the house is full of him—his footsteps, his breathing, the way he leans on walls like the world owes him something. I can feel it in my chest, tightening with every second.
I’ve packed a bag. I told him we might visit family. He smiled and nodded. I couldn’t tell him the truth. Not yet.
I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. Every room feels smaller. Every silence presses down on me. I know I can’t let him see me scared, but inside, I am.
I’ll do whatever I have to. I don’t know what I’ll do, but I won’t let him take him.
I love him. I always have. He is the only thing that ties me to the real man I love and the only thing keeping me from breaking entirely. If I need to stand in the dark and face everything, I will. I have to.
My eyes welled up. I knew what happened there—at least the final result. All her fears of losing her son were valid because, in the end, that was what happened.
I needed answers. Maybe the real dad showed up when it happened. Maybe he was interviewed, or there was information about who he was in the file. I pulled out my phone and hit the number I probably wasn’t supposed to use for this purpose.
She answered on the second ring. “Detective Dodge.”
“Lilah, it’s Ellie.”
“Should I be worried?”
I groaned. “Probably.”
