Page 53 of Forbidden Knots

When I reached my front door, the smell of alcohol hit me hard. Inside, I found Christian sprawled on the floor next to two empty bottles of whiskey. With my foot, I nudged his body to check if he was still alive. He responded with two loud snorts, so I walked past him.

As I got upstairs, taking off my skirt, a familiar voice called out.

"Tristan, is that you?" Amber's laugh echoed through the house, the sound of her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

I turned around to find her standing behind me. "Babe, I missed you," she said, her red lipstick smudged across my cheek.

"Ew, you need a shower," she added, stepping back.

My face went pale as if I'd seen a ghost. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I demanded. "Who even let you in?"

"Your friend downstairs," she whispered, "aren't you glad to see me here?"

"No," I shouted, "we broke up, remember?"

"I thought you would like this surprise," she whispered, her fingers gliding up and down my chest to my neck. "Uh, new tattoo, I like it." She twitched her nose, "Grr," she said, reaching for my neck, but I immediately stopped her.

"Touch it and I swear I will kill you."

She rolled her eyes, spinning and walking away. "Well, I am here, whether you like it or not."

"Fucking leave!" I shouted after her. "LEAVE!"

She shook her finger and walked to Sophie's room, locking the door behind her. Anger surged through me, and my fists clenched as I rushed to the room, banging on the door.

"Open the fucking door, Amber," I shouted.

Not only had she come uninvited, but she was also desecrating my sister's room. Sophie would never allow it, and it made my anger boil over, knowing there was a possibility of her never coming back and Amber was here ruining her memory.

"Open the door!" I hissed under my breath, leaning my head against the door.

As if my luck couldn’t get any worse, Chiara burst into the house, out of breath, her sobs filling the room as she knelt near Christian.

"They found her," she cried, tears streaming down her face. "They found Sophie."

I ran downstairs, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Where is she?"

But she remained silent, her sobs the only sound filling the room. Her anguish was real, unmistakable. I knew then, with a sickening certainty, that Sophie was gone.

I stormed out of the house, walking as fast as I could. The sun blazed overhead, making the streets boil, and each step I took on the marble pavement felt like walking on hot coals.

I knelt down, pressing my palms to my cheeks, and screamed, "Sophie!"

Part of me died with her, and part of me was still dying. I had forgotten I left Thalia on the boat, and I had forgotten how to breathe, my sobs filling my lungs and leaving me gasping for air.

In the distance, I heard sirens, their wail growing louder, and then the sound of footsteps approaching. They had come officially to announce Sophie's death.

They took us to the police station, offering us water as if that could help with the grief, but nothing could fill the hole Sophie's death had left. My eyes were red, my body exhausted, and the skin on my neck burned, but I felt nothing. The only thing I could feel was pain and anger towards whoever had done this to her.

"We found several human remains," the detective said, his voice grave. "One of them fits Sophie's description."

"Several?" I asked, my voice strained. "There's more?"

"We have a few already confirmed to be victims from missing persons cases," he said. "We are dealing with a serial killer who has been active since the '90s."

"Are you sure it's her?" I asked, my teeth clenched, biting my tongue to keep from screaming.

He nodded, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

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