Page 101 of Mine

“Yes.”

“What did it say?” I look at the laptop sitting open on the desk. Next to it is a map, scribbled on by Cillian. X marks the spot. “I want to read it.”

I push past him and squint at the email, which contains only one seemingly innocent sentence.

I’m going to be late tonight. Love, Valerie

“It’s code,” Astor says, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Because I believed her safety was at risk by simply marrying me, I set up a special communication system. We have several code words and phrases for her to use in different scenarios if she needs help. This one means she is in imminent danger and needs immediate help. Only she and I know the codes. No one else. Not even Cillian.”

The thought of Astor going to such lengths to protect her is another jab to my heart. Prishna’s words sneak into my mind like a deadly virus.

He is still, and always will be, madly in love with his wife ...

I’m speechless, staring at him like an idiot. It feels like my entire world has crashed down around me.

What does all this mean? For us?

Astor reaches toward me. I think he is going to pull me in for a hug and tell me everything is going to be okay, and that I am the only woman who holds his heart. Instead, he reaches past me, opens a drawer, and pulls out a pistol.

“We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

“We?”

“Yes. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“What’s your plan? Where are we going?”

“To get my wife back.”

“Get your wife back?!” I throw out my arms. “Then what? That’s it?” I gesture between us. “For us? That’s it?”

“I made a commitment, Sabine.” He snaps back, impatient, frustrated. “Her daughter—our daughter—was killed because of her relation to me. It’s my fault. Everything is my fault. I can’t just leave her.”

“The guilt, Astor. It’s going to kill you one day.”

“What do you want me to do, Sabine?” he bellows.

I startle, reminded of the man last night who brutally beat someone for speaking to me. The man who dragged me out by my arm, like an insolent child, in front of a hundred people.

He throws out his arms. “What do you want me to do, huh?!”

“I can’t believe this, I ...” I don’t know what the hell to say.

I shake my head, suddenly dizzy.

How the hell do I answer that question?

Sixty-One

Anonymous

I couldn’t sleep last night. The anticipation of today was too great, too exciting. Everything is in place. Years of waiting for the perfect plan, the perfect opportunity, the perfect time. It’s finally here.

It’s time.

I pull the picture from my pocket and peer down at the image one more time. The sweet smile. The blond ringlets. The sparkle in her eyes. So full of hope. Little did she know ...

On a deep inhale, I slip the photo back into my pocket.

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