AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Good evening. How are you?"
"I-I'm fine. And you? How was your meeting?"
Alarm bells go off in my mind.
“It went fine. I miss you.”
"I… I miss you too."
Alarm bells go off when I hear her stutter.
"Emma, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."Her voice is thin, as if she's on the verge of breaking.
"Em, I can hear something is wrong. Tell me, what is it?"
When she stays quiet again, I hang up and pace through the room. My gut is in a knot as I summon her voice. She was stammering. She does that on three occasions. When she's sad, nervous, or aroused, the third option isn't possible. I press another button on the phone and gaze at the screen. I'm video-calling her; I need to see her face. "Come on. Pick up."
Again, it switches to voicemail. Shit, my teeth clench. What the hell is going on? This morning she was fine. I open my text messenger and type: Angel, I will not stop video-calling you until you answer.
After sending the text, I wait two minutes, which feels like forever. I press the button, and with my hand roaming through my still-damp locks, I wait for her to pick up. Suddenly, a view of her kitchen appears on my screen.
"Emma? Where are you?"
"I'm here."
“Angel, what's wrong? Hold the phone in front of you.”
"I'm not wearing make-up."
"That isn't an excuse. I've seen you with and without make-up. You are perfect either way." I lower my voice and make it more demanding. "Emma, if you don't show yourself in five seconds. I'm getting on the next plane home."
She doesn't respond, so I count down.
"Five… Four..."
"Angel, come on."
"Three… Two… One."
The screen moves, and a bunch of her brown locks become visible.
"Sweetheart..."
She lifts her chin, and my body tenses at the sight of her puffy and reddened eyes.
"Angel?"
A tear glides over her cheek, and I wish I could reach through the phone to wipe it away. Seeing her upset is torturous. The last time I saw her this sad was when she opened up about her parents. Smarty's face pops into my mind, and my blood turns cold. "Is everything okay with Charlotte?"
Emma's face contorts, and she closes her eyes. "Don't worry. She is fine and sleeping."
Thank God.
"Something happened after you left." She glances at me from under her eyelashes.
I give her a careful smile. "What happened? You can tell me."
