Page 4 of If You Say So

Let me tell you something. It wasn’t.

It was hard. The hours were long and grueling, and everybody looked at and treated me like a

child.

Then again, compared to most of them, I was.

I’d graduated high school early. Then college early. Starting medical school an entire three years

earlier than even the youngest of normal students.

Needless to say, I was a child in their eyes.

It felt good to see Gabe and Ember, though.

I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed a hug until they were squeezing me like their life depended

on it.

“I had a really bad day yesterday,” I said, throat closing as I remembered. “And now you’re here,

and whew, it was like that bad day is just erased.”

I slowly let them go and stepped back, a large, jovial smile on my face.

That smile fell right off when I saw that Ember was crying, and Gabe was looking at me like I’d

just slapped him.

“What?” I whispered.

The door behind my fiancé’s parents opened, and my father walked in.

His face was a mask of stillness.

Not a single emotion was in his expression.

“Daddy?”

Ember had my hand in hers moments later.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Dad, why did you drive so far when you know I have to go to the

hospital in…” I trailed off when my dad stepped up and cupped my face between his big hands.

“Baby, hush,” he whispered. “Listen.”

So I listened.

And I never realized what it would feel like—losing your soul.

But I imagine it would feel something like how I was feeling now.

Lost. Empty. Alone. Scared. Sad. Sick to my stomach.

Luca is missing.

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