Page 33 of Sins of Autumn

“And then what?” Naija snapped, panic slipping into her tone. “Walk ten miles through the damn woods? In the middle of nowhere?”

A thud reverberated against the front door, cutting off our conversation. Without hesitation, Jason took off to the door.

"Jason, no!" Liza called after him, but it was too late.

He flung it open and relief washed through the room when the porch revealed nothing—no intruder, no looming figure, just the empty, quiet expanse of the property.

“What the fuck is this?” He bent over and lifted something up. When he turned around there was a square brown box in his hands. “Mint?”

My stomach dropped. It felt like the world had tilted sideways.

"Isn’t that... you?” He looked at me, his eyes narrowing, oblivious to the immediate turmoil that one word had caused in me.

"Yes," I replied quietly.

Gabe strode forward, yanking him further inside and slamming the door shut with a curse. "Are you insane? Don’t just open the damn door like that."

Jason ignored him, shaking the box gently. Something rattled inside, the sound both light and solid. His gaze shifted to me. “Well, this is for you.”

Feeling eyes on me, I shifted and looked at Daniella. “I…I didn’t tell him about this trip.”

“I know,” she replied softly.

Taking the box from Jason’s hands, I swallowed and carried it into the kitchen. I placed it on the island and stared down at it. How did he know where I was? Was he the one doing all of this? That didn’t make much sense to me if he wanted us to get back together. This would have the opposite effect.

Everyone crowded around me, the room deathly silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator.

“Autumn,” Cherish prompted softly.

Naija tilted her head, her curiosity evident as she eyed the box. "So… why did you and Wilder break up, exactly?"

“Long story.” I could feel their eyes on me, and a plethora of unspoken questions. I knew Daniella had already told them we weren’t together anymore, but she hadn’t shared the details. For that, I was grateful.

I grabbed a knife from the cutlery drawer and sliced through the packaging tape. The lid popped open, revealing layers of tissue paper, neatly folded and pristine white. An elegant card sat on top. If I had any doubts about this being Wilder, they were gone.

“Fixing our forever.”

The card slipped from my hands, fluttering onto the counter like the punchline to a macabre joke. I dug through the excessive layers of tissue paper. The rustling was deafening. My fingers brushed against something gritty and I paused.

I carefully peeled back another layer of tissue paper. Seeing what I had just touched, I recoiled with a curse, knocking the box onto its side. Amber's head hit the island with a grotesque thud and the room erupted into chaos.

Jason ran to the sink and threw up. Cherish grabbed me, her nails digging into my arm as I stumbled back, my legs barely holding me upright. Her face was almost unrecognizable except for one side. One side was flattened, covered in dried blood. A single glassy eye stared lifelessly, the other lost missing entirely.

Gabe’s expression was a mix of horror and disbelief, his eyes glued to the head on the counter. Naija let out a choked sob, backing away until her shoulder hit the wall. “Who the fuck… who would even…?” she trailed off, her hands trembling as she covered her mouth. Daniella had her hand pressed over her stomach as if she were going to be sick.

My heart raced, my mind spiraling as I stared at her disfigured face.

My sister shook her head. “No. No, he’s not this unhinged.”

Ryan stepped closer to the kitchen island. “Who?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say his name. Of course, Naija sharp as ever, was already piecing it together.

“Is this… is this about Wilder?”

Gabe’s brows shot up, his expression shifting from confusion to alarm. “Holy shit.”

Jason turned the tap on and rinsed his mouth, not quite keeping up but getting the gist. When he turned back around, he glanced between all of us, his brow furrowed. “Wilder Carson? Your boyfriend?”

---