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I stare at the blank screen for a long time, my thumb still hovering where his name used to be.

Then I lock my phone.

And somehow it feels like losing him all over again.

A new version of him I'll never know.

31

Jace

"Pick up, pick up, pick up."

I pace my hallway again, phone pressed to my ear, making the only call that feels logical after everything else I've tried.

"Hello?"

Lenny's voice rings through, and I stop in my tracks, instantly calmer.

"Hey," I say, attempting to hide the panic still woven in my tone. "Where are you right now?"

There's a clicking on the other end of the line that, mixed with the sound of her ignition turning off, tells me she just parked her car. "I actually just got home from getting coffee with my sister. Don't you have Vienna's activation appointment today?"

I blow out a heavy breath the second I hear her name. "Yeah, soon. But… I need your help."

"Is everything okay?" she asks quickly.

"Um, yes? No?" I groan, my hand hitting the back of my neck. "Shit, I don't know—I guess technically. But I—"

I turn around and stare at the locked door behind me. "Can you just come over?"

"Jace…" she says cautiously. "You're freaking me out."

"Everything's fine," I reassure her. "I'm fine. It's just… Vienna—"

There's a snap of a seatbelt that cuts me off.

Then Lenny says, "I'm on my way."

"Thank God," I say under my breath the second there's a knock—a pounding—on the door.

I rush to it and throw it open to find Lenny standing there with the same pink cheeks I've seen a million times before.

She ran here.

"What's wrong?" she blurts, pushing past me the instant she can. "Is she hurt? Where is she?"

Lenny rushes to take in the space, searching for the reason I called her over. For a split second, I watch her care about Vienna like I would if the roles were reversed—chest warm, heart full. But as she heads toward the hallway, I'm reminded of why she's really here.

The nerves slowly creeping back in.

"She's locked in there."

I point to the guest room Vienna typically claims as her own.

Lenny instantly tilts her head, a crease forming between her brows. "Why would you—"

"From the inside," I rush to add. "She locked herself in. Hence the problem."