Page 79 of Always Right

I let out a humorless laugh when I saw Nathan’s car parked outside my house that night. I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to contain all my emotions though I knew it was pointless. There was no way things were going to be okay. There was no way my life wouldn’t change...again.

Sure, I’d grown up.

I was a better person.

I was different and stronger, but how many tests can one person truly withstand?

How much more could I handle?

Chapter 29

Hannah

Every heavy beat of my heart hammered against my chest as I stepped out of my car and slammed the door.

Might as well tear off the band-aid now.

The chill of the night did nothing to ease my nerves as I opened the door and the silence in the house fell on my shoulders. It was the type of silence that warned of an incoming storm, one full of destruction. The house was empty, I realized, my eyes following the movement through the glass door that led to the backyard. Setting my purse down, I held myself together by wrapping my arms around my body and walked in that direction, getting a glimpse of Derek’s laughter as Evie said something.

Why did it feel like that laughter would soon disappear?

It felt like my life was about to fall apart and I didn’t know why.

Evie forced a smile in my direction when she saw me, but Nathan...he didn’t even bother looking at me. His hair was a mess, his lips were set in a tight line and his fingers furiously typed something on his phone. Derek, though, oblivious to the chaos about to unfold, approached me with the boyish smile he reserved only for me, pressing a kiss on my lips with no regard to the people around us. His hands fell to my arms, running them up and down my sleeves in a touch that was meant to comfort me.

“Are you cold?”

I shrugged, tilting my lips up slightly at the sound of his concern but ignored the question, instead asking my own directed to Evie and Nathan.

“Where are Lily and Noah?”

Evie opened her mouth but it was Nathan who answered. “They are with my mom.”

“How odd,” I replied.

Nathan scoffed, running a hand over his face and Evie lay a hand on his leg but I couldn’t feel sympathy, not when every cell in my body was on alert, ready to fight or flight.

“What’s going on?” Derek asked as he placed his hand on my back firmly...enough to remind me I wasn’t alone. Except I felt incredibly lonely.

For the first time in what felt forever, Nathan met my gaze. The gray eyes that usually shone with optimism, were dull. It seemed like he searched for the right words but he shook his head, as if he didn’t find them.

“The account for the gallery has been completely wiped.”

There was no accusation.

Just a simple fact.

All the money was gone.

An eerie sense of deja vu washed over me and I stepped away from Derek, afraid of what would happen next. Nathan sighed, scratching the back of his head before continuing.

“It was someone who knew the information to the accounts though because I received no alerts from the bank and the bank said they didn't notice anything odd...not until it was too late.”

My hands formed into fists by my side, waiting for the impact of his accusation, but it never came.

“I know it wasn’t you,” Nathan said with a sad smile. “We both do,” he added as he took Evie’s hand. “But it had to be done with the help of someone close to us because otherwise there is no way someone could get access to the account with all the safety measures we have in place. Or it had to be the person who stole the laptop. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Kind of.

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