13
I wanted to stay by Liam’s side forever.
Maybe one day, he’d believe that I truly loved him.
But unfortunately, time wasn’t on my side.
I couldn’t let Josh and Danielle lose patience with me.”
It had taken so much to get my hands on part of the evidence of their crimes.
It was four in the morning, and the first light of dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon. I called Josh, but he didn’t pick up.
Of course. At this hour, who wouldn’t be asleep?
As I waited, my mind wandered.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how Liam would react when he realized I was gone.
When I was little, Liam once lost me in a crowded mall. I’d cried my eyes out, and he’d pushed through the sea of people, frantic, until he found me and pulled me into his arms, his entire body trembling.
He always found me, no matter what.
Until the last life, when he broke his leg… and I still walked away from him without looking back.
—
The ringing of the phone snapped me out of my thoughts.
Josh was calling.
I picked up.
“You ran?” His voice was calm, almost too calm.
You ran? His voice was calm, almost too can.
“Yes. Liam’s hard to deal with.”
“The drug–he took it from me. Can you get another dose for me?”
“Don’t worry,” I said, forcing a bitter laugh. “Liam trusts me completely now. This time, it’ll work.”
I had to sell him the lie, even if it made me sick to my stomach.
But Josh sounded… different. His voice was distorted, like he was using a voice changer.
That wasn’t a good sign. It meant he was starting to doubt me.
I felt a wave of panic, like a row of dominoes teetering on the edge of collapse. If I made one wrong move, everything I’d worked for could fall apart.
“How can I trust you?” he asked after a pause
“Josh, why are we even talking about trust?” I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady.
He hesitated, clearly still suspicious.
I had no choice. Taking a deep breath, I said the one thing I knew would throw him off.
“I like you. Don’t you know that?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Then he spoke.
“What about Liam?”
“I need to be sure he hasn’t gotten to you.”
“Liam?” I forced out a laugh, my hand tightening into a fist.
“I can’t even stand to look at him.”
23:33 Mon, Apr 7
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“He’s nothing but a dog that won’t stop clinging to me.”
“If he died tomorrow, I’d set off fireworks to celebrate.”
Lies.
Every word was a lie.
I closed my eyes, repeating silently in my head: This isn’t true. None of it is true.
Finally, Josh seemed satisfied.
He gave me an address.
“876 South Street.”
Be careful.”
“… E
14
