“No… Fuck!” He shot to his feet so quickly he nearly lost his balance.
He staggered forward, nearly losing his balance before steadying himself against the wall.
His hands moved frantically over the screen as he dialed Timothy’s number.
It rang.
And rang.
No answer.
“Pick up…” Magnus cursed under his breath and dialed again. He was already moving, grabbing his shoes and shoving his feet into them without even tying the laces.
No answer.
On the third call—
Timothy finally answered.
“Mr. Graves?” his voice was groggy from sleep.
“You were at my house last night,” Magnus said sharply, his voice hoarse and breathless as he rushed toward the door.
“Yes, sir. I came to drop you off—”
Magnus cut him off.
“What were you saying about Sophia? About her flight?”
There was a pause on the other end.
Then Timothy’s careful voice came through.
“Her flight was scheduled to depart at 4. It’s 5 AM now.”
The words hit like a punch to the chest.
Magnus froze in the doorway.
“What the fuck is wrong with your fucking head, TImothy?! Why didn’t you take me to her?!”
His voice cracked as he barked into the phone, already shoving the front door open so hard it hit the wall. He barely felt the sting in his palm. His chest was tight, his breath uneven, his heart slamming painfully against his ribs as he rushed outside.
He didn’t even lock the door.
His steps were frantic, almost stumbling as he sprinted toward his car. His vision blurred, hands trembling so badly he nearly dropped the phone.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me about it?” he roared again, voice shaking. “You should have told me!”
“I did tell you, Mr. Graves,” Timothy answered, his voice confused and slightly panicked. “You were the one who said notto talk about it. You said not to mention Mrs. Graves again — that you don’t have any feelings for her anymore.”
Magnus went rigid.
“I tried to convince you last night,” Timothy continued, almost defensively. “But you wouldn’t listen. You told me to leave. You said you don’t care about her anymore.”
Magnus ripped the car door open. He slid inside and slammed it shut so hard the sound echoed in the quiet morning air.
“You’ve lost your mind!” Magnus snapped, his breathing turning ragged. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “When did I say I don’t care about her?”
