That’s why she told me about Daisy. She wanted me to save the little girl. Zoe wanted to make sure someone would find Daisy, and once she heard footsteps, she decided it was time for her to die.
Zoe was right.
We are two sides of the same coin. I made it out. She didn’t. Now, she never will.
Arlo pulls back, cupping my cheeks. I barely see him through the storm of tears in my eyes, but the worry in his expression is evident. He kisses my forehead gently, his hands trembling.
“Did she hurt you?”
I shake my head.
Arlo’s eyes glance to Zoe’s lifeless body, to the back of her head, and he freezes. It’s as if someone opened the window, and all the cold, winter air came rushing into the small studio. Slowly, my eyes follow his line of vision, and for what seems to be the millionth time today, I’m at a loss for words.
On the back of Zoe’s neck is a small crescent moon scar.
My eyes flick back to Arlo’s face, and the realization dawns on him quickly. His grip on me falters, and he’s stoic — emotionless — as he takes in the sight. My throat starts closing up, my lungs starting to collapse together.
Then, emotions overtake Arlo’s features.
“No,’’ he whispers.
From rage to so much pain and guilt. Everything hits him at once, and he’s motionless. Yet, despite not moving an inch, tears pool out of his eyes like the ocean. They come down in a tide, falling from his chin onto his pants.
That scar.
Zoe Adams was Luna Collins.
TWENTY-THREE
Arlo has barely moved from the position on the floor. I managed to get his phone, call Lucas, and the two of us struggled to get him out of the studio. Lucas shut down the diner for the day, and since we put Arlo to sit in the farthest booth in the corner, he hasn’t moved. He’s had his head buried in my chest, barely breathing.
I can’t even begin to process all of this. It’s a fucking mess, and the guilt weighs on me heavily. However, all of that needs to take the backseat for now, because my primary focus is Arlo.
The whole reason he and I met was because we share the same enemies. His goal from the get-go was to help me get revenge and help save Luna. Only for him to be the one to kill herunknowingly.
Her last words kept replaying in my head like a broken record. The fact that she didn’t remember her family breaks my heart the more I think of it. This kind of guilt that Arlo’s being swallowed by is something I don’t think he’ll ever recover from.
“Arlo, please,” I whisper the words that barely reach him. My hand trembles as I lift his chin up to meet my eyes, and the sight tears me apart violently from the inside.
His eyes are bloodshot, the shade of his grey as light as the day. Yet, the warmth, the softness that I adore so much are gone. It’s replaced by nothingness, and he’s just a shell of his former self. The pain, the agony, is overwhelming, and my beautiful boy allowed it all to win. He’s empty; there’s nothing except a deep, dark void that sends chills down my body.
“Blair,” his voice is hoarse, and he clears his throat, slowly distancing himself from me, yet keeping one of his hands tightly wrapped around my wrist. “I killed her.”
“I know.”
“You asked me to stop, and I didn’t listen. I killed her.”
My throat tightens, a cold, icy chilling sensation spreading through my body at the monotone tone of his voice. He’s here, but he isn’t really with me. In his mind, he’s far, far away, and I don’t know how to pull him back.
“Arlo…”
“How am I supposed to tell Mom that I killed Luna? She’ll wake up, and then she’ll want to know.” A bitter, choked laugh escapes him. “How am I supposed to tell Dad that I killed the only girl I was supposed to find? Mom’s entire life revolved around finding Luna and seeking revenge for Aunt Jane. I failed them all, and now, there’s nothing I can do about it.’’
“It wasn’t your fault.’’ I swallow a lump that forms in my throat. “You wanted to save me.”
“There were other ways to save you that didn’t require mekilling her. Yet again, I acted on my impulses, and it led me straight to killing my cousin.”
I keep my mouth shut, silence surrounding us. There are no words of comfort that I could offer in this situation. He’s broken, inside out, and he doesn’t see the end of all the suffering. And yet again, it’s all because of me.
