The search for Lucas had taken them deeper into the town’s outskirts, where the streets became narrower, and the air thickened with the scent of pine and damp earth. Claire could barely focus on the mission, her mind too tangled with the frustration gnawing at her. The constant proximity of Marisol and Ethan, their easy camaraderie, only added to the suffocating weight on her chest. She could feel the jealousy in every glance Marisol sent Ethan’s way, every touch, every word.
The group had split up to cover more ground. Claire had been paired with Marisol, an arrangement that Claire had protested quietly but had no say in. Ethan had insisted it was for the best, but it felt like he was deliberately distancing himself, leaving her with the one person who made her skin crawl.
Now, as they
