Lee exhaled, fingers drumming against the table.
“He was too perfect,” Lee explained. “Like every word, every action was practiced—like he was on stage, performing a role he had rehearsed a thousand times.”
A chill crawled down my spine.
“Then, as the relationship between him and Olivia continued, Jack and I started seeing the cracks. His perfect demeanor felt more like a mask—something hiding dangerous machinations beneath the surface.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Then why didn’t you stop Olivia from seeing him?”
Lee’s salt-and-pepper eyebrow arched. “You must’ve seen how stubborn Olivia can be.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh, raking my hand through my hair. “God, have I. Olivia digs her heels in, and once she does, there’s no moving her.”
Lee smirked, nodding. “That’s Olivia.”
Pushing off his chair, he strode to the sink, rinsing out his empty mug before setting it down. Then, he turned, leaning against the counter, arms crossed.
“The day she traveled, Jack finally told her the truth—about who she was… and that he believed Tristan was dangerous.”
A heavy silence stretched between us.
Lee exhaled, shaking his head. “Jack and I knew something was wrong. We felt it in our gut.”
I could already guess what came next.
“She didn’t believe him,” I said flatly.
Lee let out a heavy sigh. “No. She accused her father of jealousy. And after that? Everything went downhill.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to tame my frustration. This was getting us nowhere.
I dropped into a chair, forcing myself to think instead of rage. “Where have you looked?” I asked, willing my temper to stay in check. “We can retrace your steps. Maybe I’ll see something you missed.”
Lee pushed off the counter, rubbing his hands together. “Yeah… I don’t know. We’ve looked everywhere.”
Then, his brow furrowed slightly.
“But maybe…” He hesitated. “Maybe I’ve been looking at this all wrong.”
I lifted a brow. “How so?”
He nodded as if piecing something together. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should start over. We can head to Olivia’s apartment—see if anything jumps out.”
I shot to my feet, eager to finally do something besides pace around this kitchen.
But before I reached the front door, I hesitated.
“There’s something else,” I admitted.
Lee tilted his head. “Yeah?”
I turned to him, exhaling.
“There’s something I could use your advice on.”
“Shoot,” Lee said.
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
