A week slipped by before Athena finally unlocked her phone and saw a flood of messages from Doris. But from Tyler-nothing. Anna, too, had stayed silent.

Athena had spent the week holed up in a run-down motel, her eyes raw and swollen from crying. She hadn't answered any of Doris's frantic messages; instead, she dragged herself out of bed and washed her face, moving as if underwater.

She'd barely finished when her phone rang again. Doris's name flashed on the

screen.

"Athena!" Doris's voice screeched through the speaker. "Where the hell have you been? If you keep ignoring my calls, I'm calling the police!"

Athena winced, her head pounding from days of restless sleep. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Doris practically exploded. "Do you even realize Tyler has been searching for you everywhere? He called me dozens of times-he thinks I'm hiding you! You're lucky I haven't lost my mind. Now that your phone's back on, he can track your number. He'll probably show up soon, so you better figure out what to tell him."

Athena frowned. What was there to explain to Tyler? He disappeared all the time and she never questioned it-everyone has their secrets, after all.

She tossed her photo album into her bag, ready to head back to Greenfield, when Tyler appeared out of nowhere.

since Doris's call. Had he

than before. The moment he spotted her, he marched straight over and, before she could

win. You're coming back

what? They hadn't made any

with frustration. Things had ended badly the


to vanish for

up

just

hing

trying to drive him

he'd kept his cool, but the days stretched on with no word from her. Then her phone went dead, and panic set in. He'd started calling

everyone in Greenfield knew he'd been desperately searching for a woman. Embarrassing,

him soften. Maybe this kind of anxiety,

shaky breath and pulled her into his arms. "Come back to Greenfield with me. I swear,

he realized she'd probably had a rough week

Doris. She says you always bottle

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