I turned and walked out before I lost control.
I sat in my car for a moment, gripping the steering wheel, breathing hard.
I was going to look for Lily.
The passenger door opened.
Ethan got in.
His eyes were red. His face was tight. But there was something different there now. Determination.
I didn’t say anything.
I couldn’t waste time arguing with the most stubborn person I had ever met.
I started the car and drove.
I went straight to the school.
Lily loved school. More than most kids. It was the only place she felt normal. Safe.
As I searched the grounds, that heavy feeling settled in my stomach. The kind that made it hard to breathe.
If I didn’t find her, I didn’t know how I would survive it.
When I came back to the car, Ethan was bent over behind it, throwing up.
I stopped and waited.
He wiped his mouth unsteadily and stood there, breathing hard.
I climbed back into the car and waited for him to get in.
The air inside felt thick. Heavy with everything I had said.
I reached into the back seat, grabbed a water bottle, and tossed it to him without looking.
He rinsed his mouth and drank half of it in one long swallow.
Neither of us spoke.
We just drove.
I drove toward the park without saying it out loud, because saying it felt like admitting how little hope I had left.
It was too close to the house. Close enough that the police would have checked it already. Close enough that it felt stupid to even try. But there was nowhere else my mind would let me go.
My stomach churned as we pulled up. Nausea crawled up my throat, sharp and insistent. I rolled the window down even though it was cold.
Ethan sat rigid beside me, silent. He hadn’t said a word since the school. His hands were clenched in his lap, knuckles pale.
I parked and got out.
Chapter 21
Claire
The park looked deserted.
