Jenna huffs, looking down at her belly affectionately. "Maybe if I didn’t have this little one in the way, I’d clear the table."
Her baby bump has her balancing precariously as she lines up her shots, and it’s both endearing and hilarious. She laughs at herself more than I do, which makes it all the more fun.
I sink a solid, adjusting my stance as Jenna saunters over to the bar for a quick sip of her ginger ale. We’ve always been careful about playing during work hours, but the hall is quiet today—just the clatter of our pool balls and Jenna’s occasional quips drift through the space.
“I'm just glad you and Reeves are managing well,” I say, taking my turn. “Liam adores both of you.”
"We wouldn’t have it any other way," Jenna replies, grinning. "Co-parenting might not be easy, but we’re a good team."
The overhead lights glint off her engagement ring as she takes another shot. "And you," she goes on, her voice dropping in faux seriousness as she leans on her cue, "look like you’re finally in a good place. Madly in love with a brilliant musician, I hear?"
“Madly,” I admit, unable to fight my grin. “Julian’s everything I hoped for—and Daniel hasn’t bothered us for over six weeks," I tell her. "Knock on wood,” I add with a quick tap on the table rail.
Jenna’s brow arches, barely able to mask her skepticism. "That's a good thing, yeah?"
I nod, leaning casually against the pool table. I pause mid-shot, the cue hovering above the green felt as I consider Daniel's twisted logic. "I think he may have felt some kind of sick satisfaction—like he'd gotten his revenge when they broke Julian's hand that night," I say slowly, the memory still making my stomach turn. "Maybe in his warped mind, that was enough. He probably figured it wasn't worth whatever legal trouble Julian could've brought down on him if we'd pushed harder with the police."
“Too bad they couldn’t arrest him.”
“I don’t care. Not anymore,” I confess. “As long as he's out of our lives... I just want peace.”
"Peace sounds nice," Jenna muses, settling beside me, her gaze warm and understanding. "You deserve every bit of it."
Her words strike me deeply as I watch my friend and remember everything we’ve weathered alongside each other. My heart swells, realizing the weight of chaos is lifting, leaving room for love to breathe and settle in.
“Your turn,” Jenna nudges, playfully insistent, her eyes twinkling with an unspoken bond.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Unfortunately, as I'd feared… itwastoo good to be true.
The other shoe does drop.
When Raine calls, it's like waking from a long, dense dream.
Claudia.
How did I let her slip my mind? I’ve been lost in everything with Julian and the chaos Daniel unleashed. For a brief moment, guilt grips me tighter than any fear. How could I forget?
I stare at my phone screen, Raine's number staring back at me.
I answer, eager.
His voice crackles through my phone speaker with an urgency that makes my pulse quicken. He tells me, his words measured but laced with barely contained excitement, that he's found something—something big, something he's absolutely certain I'm going to find very, very interesting.
Well, it’s about time. It’s been over a month.
His tone carries a weight that suggests this isn't just some minor detail he's stumbled upon. Whatever it is, it sounds important enough that he wanted to call me directly, rather than texting or waiting until we could meet up.
The way he says it sends a shiver of anticipation down my spine, mixed with a thread of anxiety. What could he have possibly found?
My mind races with possibilities, each more urgent than the last. I'm pleasantly shocked by the timing of his call, curious as a cat about what he's discovered. The anticipation coils tight in my chest, making it hard to sit still. I can't wait to find out what it is—what piece of this horrible puzzle he's managed to uncover.
Whatever Raine has found, I have a feeling it's going to change everything I thought I knew about Claudia's disappearance.
I'm high on adrenaline as I make my way to meet him, my hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly, my foot pressing the accelerator a little too heavily.
My entire body hums with nervous, curious energy—a buzzing sensation that starts in my fingertips and spreads through my chest, making it impossible to think about anything else. Every nerve feels electric, alive with anticipation. My mind won't stop racing, churning through possibilities, scenarios, what-ifs.
