EDWIN
“Take me to my mother’s house. Now.”
The words flew out before I could even think. My voice was sharp, loud—cutting through the thick, breathless silence in the car like glass.
The driver jumped slightly, then nodded. No questions. No hesitation. Just a quick glance at me through the rearview mirror. Maybe he could tell I was close to losing it.
My leg bounced uncontrollably, and my hands—God, my hands—wouldn’t stop shaking.
Natalie was gone.
Gone.
Disappeared without a trace. And no one—no one—could tell me where.
Joan’s voice still rang in my head, bitter and cracked.
“She left, Edwin. I don’t know where she is.”
Those words didn’t just echo—they clung to me, dug into my skin, played on loop like some sick punishment.
“She trusted you. She fought herself to love you. And
