Page 81 of Only Be Mine

Minutes slipped past without leaving marks, stretching and thinning until I couldn’t tell how long we’d been sitting there - me on the edge of the sofa, Trevor on one side, Amy hovering nearby, Seth pacing like he might wear a groove into the floor.

Even Baby was starting to show signs of distress.

No one spoke much anymore.

Every sound made me look up.

The refrigerator kicking on. A car passing outside. The house settling.

None of it was him.

Chapter 28

Cate

May 10 - Ten Years Ago

Ididn’t sleep.

Not really.

I moved between the living room and the kitchen until the carpet wore thin beneath my feet, my fingers raw from worrying the hem of my shirt. Every sound made my heart lurch. Every silence felt louder than the last.

John still hadn’t come home.

“I’ll drive around,” Seth said finally. “Check the usual places.”

Jim nodded. “I’ll come with you.”

Trevor looked at me. “You want to come?”

I shook my head. The idea of leaving the house, of not being here when John walked through the door, felt unbearable.

“I’ll stay,” I said. “Just in case.”

They left, and the silence rushed back in, louder than before.

I wandered the house aimlessly. Straightened pillows that didn’t need it. Picked up a mug, then set it down somewhere else. I checked my phone again, even though I knew nothing had changed.

No missed calls. No new messages.

I tried calling John again. It went straight to voicemail.

I didn’t leave a message this time. I didn’t trust my voice.

I stepped outside onto the porch, hugging my arms around myself. The rain had slowed to a mist, the air damp and cold. The streetlight cast a pale halo over the driveway, his truck sitting exactly where it should be.

As if it hadn’t betrayed me.

My sister Sarah showed up and took over calling - hospitals, urgent care clinics, shelters - her voice calm in a way mine no longer could be. Every call ended the same way.

No.

No record.

No sign of him.

By two in the morning, Seth, Jim, and Trevor were back. Wet jackets. Tired faces. The smell of rain followed them inside.