Page 124 of When the Storm Breaks
The door thuds shut behind me.
And I’m left alone in the emptiness again.
Chapter 40
Haiyden
2:34 p.m.
Calla: I’m thinking about you… I hope you’re all right. I miss you.
Chapter 41
Calla
Everything about this day feels wrong.
I sit in my car, parked in the lot outside my apartment, letting it wash over me. My body sinks into the seat, exhaustion wrapping around me like a second skin. And before I can stop them, the tears pour.
They slip down my cheeks silently, one after another, until the minutes stretch into what feels like hours.
Eventually, I force myself out of the car, using every ounce of strength I have to push the building door open, drag myself up the stairs, and into my apartment.
On the way up, my mind gets the better of me. Each step feeds a foolish hope—that Haiyden might be there. Sitting on the couch. Waiting. His usual unreadable expression softened just for me. Like he understands that I need him. Like he was never gone to begin with. Like there was never so much hurt in the world that we had to live through.
Are either of us really living, though?
The moment I step inside, reality crashes down.
Everything is exactly where I left it. Untouched. The silence clings to the walls, swallowing me whole. The air feels stale, like nothing has moved in days.
He was never here. He’s still gone.
I make my way to the bedroom and drop onto the bed, fingers hovering over my phone. Hesitation crawls up my spine. I don’t want to do this.
But I have to.
With a deep breath, I typeWillow Greystoneinto the search bar.
The results load instantly—a flood of articles, photos, speculation. My chest tightens as I scan the headlines, each one a dagger to an already bleeding heart.
Missing Person: The Search for Willow Greystone
The Night She Disappeared: What Happened to Willow?
I don’t want to see any of it, but I can’t look away.
I click on the most recent article, stomach twisting as I skim the words.
Willow Greystone, 28, was last seen on the night of June 14th at a party near Lake Crest. Witnesses report she left the gathering around midnight, but no one saw which direction she went. Authorities believe she may have taken a wrong turn while walking back to her car, ultimately getting lost in the dense surrounding woods.
That’s it. That’s the official story.
The last person to see her was a partygoer—someone who spotted her walking toward the trees.
And then—nothing.
I close the article, swallowing down the nausea risingin my throat.
