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With that on my mind, I grab my cell and shoot a quick text to Anna.
Me
Just checking in. I’ll be in the UK for the next week if you need me xo
Knowing that Anna and Ophelia are most surely asleep, considering the time difference, I plug in my cell to charge while I make a quick breakfast of poached eggs and toast with the help of the surprisingly well-stocked pantry.
I’m about to finish my last bite when my cell chimes from where I’ve left it on the bedside table.
I make short work of tidying up after myself before I check the message.
Anna
I take it the reunion went better than expected. How did he take the news?
My gut tightens at the reminder that I’m keeping secrets that don’t have thepotentialto destroy me—theywillshatter everything I hold dear.
Me
I’m staying the week.
I hit send and then spend the next thirty seconds watching those three dots flicker on the screen.
Anna
You didn’t do it, did you?
Me
I will. I’m waiting for my opening.
Placing the cell face down on the bedside table, as though the sight of it offends me, I quickly get dressed into black jogging shorts and a white vest, pulling my hair back off my face in a high pony.
I’m tying the laces of my trainers when my phone chimes again, but I leave it and head out to jog off my nervous anxiety.
The morning air is crisp and cool, but the sun’s rays hold the promise of a beautiful day ahead.
Glancing around, I decide that the best course of action is to jog by the long and winding driveway to the guard’s station and back, seeing as I’m unfamiliar with the rest of Caden’s property.
So, having warmed up sufficiently, I set off at a gentle pace, soaking in the peace surrounding me. I make it to the guard station in under ten minutes to receive a nod of acknowledgement from two new faces inside before turning back the way I came.
I’m a hairsbreadth from the recording studio when I hear a shout, and I stop suddenly, straining to hear where it’s coming from.
“Help!”
The long cry is ear-piercing, and I can just about discern that it came from the direction of the main house.
My feet fly across the distance before my brain has the chance to catch up when I hear it again.
“Help.”
Rounding the side of the house, I spot the firepit where Caden had unburdened his truth last night. It’s not until I look beyond the seating area that I spot an outdoor pool that I failed to notice the evening before.
My heart leaps beneath my breastbone when I spy someone flailing around in the water. Breaking into a sprint, I round the firepit and vault over the seat at the far side, landing on tiles that are slick with water.
I take a split second to locate the person, only for my adrenaline to spike when I make out a blonde head of hair, and the person is way too small to be Caden.
Bella.
