I pocketed it.
“It’s in Dad’s safe,” she said, stepping back with low brows as I pushed past her down the stairs to Dad’s office. “Where it lives.”
She was fast on my heels, putting her athleisure to use. “Where are you going?”
“Hungary.”
She stopped short, beside Dad’s desk. “As in… to see Imre, or?”
I spun the dial of Dad’s safe on his shelf, grabbed the pile of passports, and flicked through each one to try and find my grumpy ID photo.
“Fia.”
“Zoltán. I’m going to see Zoltán.”
Silence. Just the sound of thick paper turning as my search grew more frantic.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“Nope.” Ah, yes, there was my miserable expression. I pocketed it and turned, the adrenaline ready to break me out of this house.
Everly stood in my way, palms up, trying to keep me locked in my life without him. “What’s happened?”
If I barged past, she would only come after me.
“I read his letter.”
Her eyes brightened. “And he proved he didn’t know?”
“Not exactly. I found something that makes it look—”
“Makes it look or makes you certain?”
“It’s not evidence. But I know. I just need him to tell me— I need to see him, Ev.”
She nodded and crushed me in a hug. “Okay, yes, go and see him. I’ll drive you.”
I couldn’t speak for nerves in the car. My body couldn’t keep still, my heart beating rapidly, my toe tapping, but an overwhelming warm calm had bloomed in my chest. No matter how scared I was, I knew this was right.
I bought my plane ticket on the drive, knowing it would be faster to get a plane to Budapest and travel south than wait for hours to get to a closer airport. I needed the distance between us to shrink.Now.
I needed to see him.
Ever wished me luck, I checked in, and an overwhelming calm and excitement ran through my entire being. As we took off, I was crying and smiling at the same time.
I was going to see him.
But I had to be practical too. During the three-hour journey, and then the train ride after, I continued my translations, building a bigger picture, sending my findings to Livie.
It wasn’t until I was staring at his front door that I realised I had never actually knocked on it.
Not once.
That first fateful day, it had been open for all the elegantly dressed wedding guests.
And every time after that, I entered with Zolt, opening the door for me and gesturing me through.
The doorbell was daunting. I knew if he was looking, he would see me standing there, biting my lip, rocking back and forth on my heels. He wouldn’t be spending his time staring at his doorbell camera.
