Page 79 of Betrayed in the Dark
Vin looks up, his eyes catching mine. “It’s our father’s birthday.”
As I walk through the doorway of Madeleine’s house, an eerie calm greets me through the darkened space. I climb the stairs, taking two steps at a time, feeling a growing unease as I approach her bedroom. The door is ajar, and when I step inside, I look around and find it empty.
I pull my phone from my back pocket, prepared to call her for what feels like the hundredth time, when movement outside her window catches my attention. Stepping closer to the partially frosted glass, I see her standing at the end of the dock. Her arms are wrapped around herself as she gazes up at the sky, small snowflakes dusting the ground around her.
I grab a blanket from her bed and quickly head downstairs, walking through her backyard and down to the dock. I approach her carefully like I would an injured animal, afraid of startling her.
She doesn’t acknowledge me as I stand behind her; she merely continues to stare at the night sky.
And I find myself wishing I could know every thought flashing through her mind.
Seconds or perhaps minutes pass before she finally speaks, her voice soft against the wind whipping past us.
“It’s his birthday today.” She looks down, her arms wrapping a little tighter around her abdomen. “He would have been sixty.”
I take a step closer, my chest only inches from her back. She turns slowly to face me, and my heart breaks at what I see. Her usually bright blue eyes are red and downcast, filled with fresh tears ready to spill. The tip of her nose and her cheeks are flushed, and her entire demeanor is somber.
I place the blanket around her, wrapping it over her shoulders.
“Thank you.” She grips the edge with her slender fingers, giving me a tiny smile, but it quickly fades as her gaze returns to the lake. “He always took me out on the lake in his boat when he sensed that something was bothering me or when he needed a break from work.” She gives a slight shrug. “I feel like he’s with me when I’m here.”
“He is,” I affirm, reaching out to rest my hand on her cold cheek, my thumb brushing away the last traces of her tears. She exhales softly, her eyes closing as she leans into my touch.
“Did you know we designed my house together? It was one of the last things we did before he died.” Her eyes open, and a sad smile appears on her lips.
“I know. You mentioned in one of your letters how you two were working on the plans.” My lips attempt to curve up. “I think he mentioned something about his daughter having expensive taste.”
She looks up, a single tear escaping down her cheek. “You remember that?”
“I remember every one of your letters,” I answer.
She rolls in her bottom lip, gazing off to the side. “I miss him so much it hurts,” she whispers.
I can’t stop myself from wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest. Holding her like this feels likeeverything I’ve been missing in my life—everything I’ve needed since the day I returned home.
She buries her head into my chest, and for the second time since I’ve known her, she breaks in my arms. A violent sob wracks her body as she lets her tears flow freely. My hold on her tightens as I keep her steady, never letting her fall.
Minutes pass, and the tremor in her body slowly fades before she finally speaks.
“I always wanted to get married here so that it felt like he would be with me on my wedding day,” she says softly, her voice a little hoarse.
I pull back to look down at her. “Then why aren’t you getting married here?”
She bites her bottom lip as her gaze drifts down. “Because my father would never approve of Alastor.” She shakes her head, appearing lost in thought. “He wasn’t the one he wanted me to end up with.”
“Then who is?” I ask, my heart quickening with each passing second.
Her lips part, and I can see her walls crumbling. But just as quickly, she shakes her head dismissively, clears her throat, and steps out of my hold.
“I’m pretty cold. I’m going to head inside. Thanks for the blanket,” she voices as she sidesteps me and walks down the dock, the blanket dragging behind her, creating a trail in the snow.
And as I watch her enter her house, I’m hit with a memory from the day that everything changed between us. A day when she was no longer just my best friend’s little sister but the woman I would protect with my last breath.
The day of her father’s funeral.
I nod to the guard on duty as I drive through the Alarie Estate, noticing an increased presence of security—more than usual. But given the recent death of the head of the Alarie family, it seems that life on the estate will never feel the same again.
I stop at the private cemetery and park at the end of a long line of opulent cars. As I step out into the dry, humid air and adjust my suit sleeves, I scan the massive crowd for my second family, immediately spotting them at the top of the hill: Cecilia, Vin, Alex, Mauro, Leo, and Madeleine.
