“Keep looking,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t care how. Find her.”
“Yes, sir.”
Magnus ended the call.
For a moment, he just stood there in the middle of the airport, surrounded by strangers, announcements echoing overhead, luggage wheels rolling past.
But he felt completely alone.
Then abruptly, he roughly shoved the phone into his pocket and stormed toward the exit.
Every step he took away from the building grew faster. So did the worry clawing at his chest.
By the time he reached his car, his pulse was racing uncontrollably. He slid into the driver’s seat, hands shaking as they gripped the steering wheel. For a moment, he just sat there, chest heaving.
Then he tightened his hold on the wheel and twisted the key. The car roared to life.
He pulled out aggressively, tires screeching as he sped down the road. The pounding in his head intensified, throbbing behind his eyes. The pain became so sharp that he squeezed his eyes shut for a split second.
When he opened them again, nothing had changed.
He shut his eyes again, hoping for calm, but the pounding behind his eyes multiplied tenfold, unbearable, and his fingers curled into the leather so tightly it threatened to tear it.
And then, in that fleeting, desperate moment of blindness, he didn’t see the sharp turn ahead.
The next second, the world exploded.
The car veered off course and slammed violently into a concrete wall.
The crash shattered the early morning silence.
Metal crumpled. Glass exploded. A deafening horn blared continuously.
The car flipped.
The world outside twisted and swayed, distorted through cracked glass.
When everything finally stilled, Magnus remained strapped into his seat.
Blood streamed down from his head, staining his collar. It trickled from his hands, smeared across the steering wheel. His body hung limp, surrounded by the wreckage.
***
Two Years Later
Sophia stepped into the familiar house, her steps slower than usual as the wheels of her suitcase rolled softly behind her. The scent of the place — warm wood and something faintly floral — wrapped around her like an old memory.
She barely had time to take another breath before a body crashed into her.
“Oof—!”
Her breath left her lungs as arms wrapped tightly around her body. She staggered back a step, dropping the handle of her suitcase.
“Emma—!” she gasped.
Emma clung to her like she was afraid she might disappear, squeezing so tightly that Sophia had to laugh despite the ache in her chest.
“God, damn it,” Emma muttered, her voice half-laughing, half-emotional as she finally pulled back. A wide grin spread across her face, eyes shining. “Two years! Now I can finally hang out with you like before!”
