Page 166 of Hidden Echoes

She turned, her gaze landing on me, but there wasnothingthere. Just a hollow, empty stare, like I was a stranger on the street. Like she didn’t even know me.

Like I wasn’t real.

I swallow, trying to breathe, trying to make sense of the chaos in my chest.

But there’s no logic here. It’s just raw emotion, just a storm of rage and hurt and despair.

And all I want to do is scream at her. Scream at myself for being so stupid—for letting it get this far.

For not seeing the cracks, for not questioning her when everything inside me screamed that something wasn’t right.

But she’s gone. And now I’m left here, broken and empty.

“I don’t know why, Lara.” My voice cracks, barely above a whisper. It’s the truth I don’t want to admit. I don’t know why. “I don’t know why she did it… or why she ran.”

But deep down, I know. I know she couldn’t face me. Couldn’t face what she had done.

Because I was the one who shielded her. I was the one who wanted so badly to protect her that I ignored the signs. I wanted to love her, to believe in her, and now… now I can’t even look at this papers without choking on the truth.

I want to hate her, but I don’t know how to hate her. Not after everything we’ve been through. But god, I don’t even know who she is anymore.

And she’s gone.

She just left me.

I probably would’ve found some excuse for her, like I always did. I always do.

I’ve spent so much time convincing myself that she wasn’t to blame—that maybe if I just loved her enough, if I just held on tight enough, I could fix whatever was broken inside her.

I would’ve told myself she didn’t mean it, that she was just scared, that I was the one who misunderstood. But she wasn’t on my side. Not like I thought. Not like she promised.

She said she wouldn’t leave me, that we were in this together, but those were just words—empty, meaningless words now.

She promised me forever, but forever didn’t mean shit to her. It was all just words, just another lie in a long string of them. And now, here I am, holding onto nothing but the remnants of her betrayal.

Wherever you go, I go, wife.

I guess I’ll have to make sure I’m the one who decides when this ends.

In my hand, the divorce papers burn, the edges curling in the heat of the flame, mocking me with its cold indifference.

The taste of betrayal is bitter, acrid, like acid in my mouth. She did this. Mia.

The woman I loved, the woman I swore I’d protect.

I turn to Lara, her confused gaze meeting mine, but I don’t give a damn about her confusion. I’m not in the mood for questions, not anymore. "You need to stay with Figaro," I tell her, my voice low, edged with something darker, something colder. She opens her mouth to argue, but I don’t wait for her. I turn away, fire in my chest, and dial Charlie’s number.

“I need to talk to you,” I say when she picks up, my voice hard, sharp. There’s no room for hesitation now. “I have a plan.” The words taste sweet, dangerous, like the beginning of something much darker than I ever imagined. And this time, there’s no turning back.

I will crush my beloved wife.

CHAPTER 32

MIA

Yellow hair, green eyes, a pretty face,a soft-spoken voice, calm energy—lonely like me. Zane. I miss him.

It consumes me, this ache. It’s all I think about. When I wake up, when I practice Spanish like Paulina told me to, when I read, when I eat. Zane.

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