Page 136 of Wreckage

The second we pulled up, my pulse skyrocketed. We got out of the car fast, moving with determination.

I pounded on the door first, my knuckles slamming against the wood, sending shockwaves up my arm.

Answer, answer, answer. Fuck, please answer.

Adrian stood beside me, his entire body coiled tight. The wait felt like an eternity.

Finally, the sound of footsteps met my ears, and the door cracked open.

My heart fell when it was Zara and not Elena.

“Hey,” Zara said gently.

The moment the words left her lips, I knew.

I fucking knew.

Gone. She’s fucking gone. She’s run away.

“She’s not here,” Zara whispered, stepping back. “Come in.”

Adrian and I pushed into the apartment like we could find her hiding in the corners, as far away from us as possible. I had the delusion she’d simply told Zara to fuck with us. That this entire running awaything was a joke to get back at us for the years of shit we’d put her through.

Zara shut the door softly, turning to face us.

Adrian was pale, his fists clenched, his breathing sharp.

I forced my voice to stay even. “Where is she?”

Zara sighed, wrapping her arms around herself like she needed a shield.

“She left,” she said softly. “In the middle of the night. She called me this morning to say she needed to get away for her sanity.”

The words hit like a gut punch.

I took a step back, shaking my head. “What do you mean she left?”

“She packed her things and drove away. She said she doesn’t know when she’ll be back or even coming back.”

I stared at her. Her words were like a foreign language to me.

Adrian let out a sharp, bitter laugh, turning his back and pacing the living room.

“She found out about Amanda,” Zara continued, eyes full of sympathy. “It sent her into a spiral. I told her. She deserved to know."

I closed my eyes, regret settling like lead in my stomach.

“She thought it wasn’t real, didn’t she?” I whispered.

Zara nodded. “Wasn’t it?”

I ground my teeth together. “I did ask her to marry me, but I planned on breaking it off when I returned. I was never going to marry her. I jumped the gun and fucked everything up.”

Zara sighed and shook her head. “Her therapist convinced her it was just a trauma bond,” she said softly.

Adrian’s head snapped toward her, his eyes wild with anger.

“That’s bullshit,” he snarled. “That’s not what this is.”

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