Chapter 3

+5Bonus >

Menu

I couldn’t stop thinking about the question all day. It lingered in the back of my mind, unanswered, gnawing at me. By the time Logan came to pick me up that afternoon, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do.

And yet, I followed him anyway. Habit was a terrifying thing. Ten years was all it took to tether me to this routine–him, the Mercer Estate, and the unspoken understanding that I would always be there.

“Why are you so quiet?” he asked, glancing at me as he drove. He must have noticed my mood.

I hesitated, my fingers fidgeting with the strap of my bag. Finally, I worked up the courage to say, “Logan, maybe we should-”

Before I could finish, his phone rang.

The car display lit up with an unlisted number. I saw his grip tighten on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening.

It wasn’t like him to look nervous.

I turned to study his face, but his expression was unreadable. Without a word, he tapped the screen, switching the call to Bluetooth. “Hello…. Yeah, I’m on my way.”

The call was brief, but his voice was clipped, his tone unnaturally tense.

When it ended, he glanced at me, his jaw tight. “Elaine, something urgent came up. I can’t take you home.”

I knew what he was going to say before he said it. It wasn’t the first time. Still, foolishly, I’d hoped he’d at least take me back before running off.

My chest ached, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady. “Is something wrong?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to the road ahead as he pulled into a temporary parking spot. “Get off here and grab a taxi,” he said, his tone brisk.

09:09

0.79%

* Chapter 4

04Bones

for some kind of explanation, but he offered none. He didn’t

I say to that? Begging for answers would only

Menu

when you get home,” he added, already reaching

my backpack as I climbed out of

I stood on the sidewalk, watching his car merge back into traffic. He didn’t look

explain, I could feel it- something wasn’t right. But I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to peel back the thin, fragile layer of denial that kept me sane.

home,” he called out the window before

off.

a long time, staring at the empty stretch of road where his car had disappeared. My chest felt hollow, my

pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Nora,

where are you? Want to

sharp–tongued and brilliant. She never minced words, which was exactly

I said

with Logan first? Did the sun rise in the west today?”

I’d lived as if my entire life revolved around Logan. Every plan, every decision–always prefaced with, “Let me

you right now?” I asked, changing the subject.

I hailed a taxi

NO 09 09

0.9%

< Chapter 9

“What happened?

the few people I could confide in, so I

“He thinks you’re boring? Insipid? As if he’s some

bluntness made my cheeks burn. I

spent ten years with you and hasn’t even tried,

words stung because they were true.

me back, he’d gently pulled away and sent me to bed. At the

now, I realized it was because he didn’t

saying? That if a man loved

desire her.

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255