Page 131 of Ruthless Regret

Another stretch of silence fills the space between us.

"What happens now?" I turn to face him.

His eyes find mine, and something shifts in the air between us. "That depends on what you want."

I set my mug down. The man before me isn't the same one who confronted me at Jason's grave.

Was that only a week ago?

The anger that drove him for fourteen years has burned away, leaving something else in its place. Something real.

"I want to stay," I say softly. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah?"

I step closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. "Yeah."

His hand comes up to cup my face, thumb brushing across my cheek. When he kisses me, it's different from before. There's no anger driving it, no desperation. Just us, finally free of the past that's haunted us both for so long.

When he pulls back, there's a hint of a smile on his lips.

Outside, the sun rises higher, casting golden light across the kitchen floor. In a few hours, the town will be buzzing with news of McFadden's disappearance. There will be questions, investigations, theories. But they'll never find him. Never know what really happened in this kitchen.

The shadows that have haunted us both for fourteen years are finally fading, making way for something new.

Something better.

Something ours.

EPILOGUE

ASHLEY

Fourteen months.

It hits me while I'm sitting in my mom's living room, flipping through a magazine while she makes lunch. It's been fourteen months to the day since McFadden's death. Since everything changed.

A lot can happen in fourteen months.

McFadden still hasn’t been found. Rook and Bishop Chambers made sure of that. The case is still open, but there are no leads to follow, and the police have told us that unless someone sees the ex-sheriff, it’s unlikely that they’ll ever be able to find him and bring him to justice.

Zain's parents have become like second parents to me—his mom especially has gone out of her way to make up for those first awkward weeks. His dad treats me like the daughter he never had, always ready with a hug or a dad joke that makes Zain roll his eyes.

Jason's mom stops by for coffee every Sunday. We talk about him now, sharing stories and memories without the weight of guilt crushing my chest. She hugs me tight each time she leaves, and tells me she's glad I found happiness again. That Jason would want that for me. I think he would want it for her as well.

My relationship with my mom is much better. We talked about what I overheard the night Jason died, about how her and Dad got together, and how hard it was for her to watch what I went through after his death, and the pressure it put on her marriage for a long time.

Louisa’s parents sent a letter to Zain, apologizing for believing he’d been the one to take their daughter’s life. We drove out of town to meet them. There were tears, and memories shared, and I think it was cathartic for both them and Zain.

Karla and Jessa-Mae have finally stopped walking on eggshells around Zain. Now they just roll their eyes when he gets possessive and growly, and tease him about being a caveman.

Scott moved to Chicago six months ago. Last I heard, he's dating someone new. It's better this way—some wounds need distance to heal.

Sondra still hates me, but I stopped caring about that months ago. Her snide comments and cold looks bounce right off me now. I think it's jealousy, if I'm honest.

Me and Zain are together.Properly together. It hasn’t always been easy, and there have been moments where we questioned whether it was going to work out. But we pushed through the tough days, knowing that what we have is worth fighting for, and now I couldn’t ask for a more perfect relationship.

The knock on the door is unexpected, but it draws me out of my thoughts.

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