I was right. Last night was a goodbye.
No. I refuse to accept this.
I snatch his lighter, throw on sweatpants and a sweater, and rush out the door.
“Where is he?”
Hannah meets me at the bottom of the stairs, the wrinkles on her forehead extra deep today.
“He didn’t tell me. They left early this morning. He left strict instructions to wake you only now.”
I’m running toward the basement door before she finishes. The tunnels to the dungeons—he said they connect to The Antihero Syndicate’s meeting place.
The door is sealed shut.
“No, you don’t get to do this,” I seethe and pull out my phone, this time to text Ren.
Lana
Where is he? You tell him if he thinks I’ll obey him and give up on us, he doesn’t know me. At all.
Seconds pass, and just when I think Ren won’t respond, a text comes through.
Ren
I’m not supposed to answer. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for him. Please.
Lana
I’m doing it for him! For us. Where is he?
Ren doesn’t text back.
Ten minutes later, John drives me to Arcana & Bloom.
Rain beads my hair as I barrel through the doors, floral-scented heat enveloping me.
“Lana,” Aria says, her brown eyes shining with sympathy as she pulls me close. “I got here as fast as I could.”
“What’s going on? No one would tell me anything.” I thrust the note at her. “Why am I here?”
“Elias thought it’d be best if…”
Her voice fades when I see them.
Maxwell and Rex sit at the corner table, their faces grim, two suitcases beside them.
My suitcases.
“No.” My steps falter. A packet of papers and a pen rest on the table.
I don’t need to read them to know what they are.
Divorce papers.
Scarlett appears at my side and guides me forward. “Elias called us this morning. He thought it’d be easier if you were somewhere else, safe, surrounded by—”
“My family and friends.” The words scrape out from my throat.
