On a late Saturday night, when Lucy should be welcoming him with his usual hot coffee, a tight smile on her face and a fresh buddle of complaints, Aiden Carter finds himself welcomed by a dreadful silence and the news of his wife running away with h...
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'You shouldn't have spent so much time talking with that little girl.' Jace groans as his car speed forward on the deserted road.
'That little girl has a name.' I roll my eyes. 'And she's in the backseat and can hear you.'
Jace groans again. I guess he isn't too happy about the fact that I've brought Eva along. But she had been so excited. For a moment, I had thought, that after being fed, she would want to go home. I was about to start a conversation with her about what how we were going to do that, but then Jace came along, refusing to get out of his car, and insisting that we left that very moment.
I had to bring Eva along. It felt good when she started nodding eagerly even before I've finished asking her if she wanted to come along. Apparently, the thought of Lucy has left her charmed.
She's ignoring him. And has been ignoring him since the moment she stepped inside the car. At first, she had said hello, offering him a wide smile that could have left anyone awed, and a raised hand. He had nodded and shaken her hand briskly. She had yanked her hand back, and got into the car without another word, looking almost offended. The look on Jace's face was almost comical and I had to resist the temptation to laugh for the sake of his ego.
But soon, the bubbles inside had faded away, and I feel almost numb now, though everyone in a while, my heart shifts from icy numbness to a burning that makes it hard for me to breath. My feelings have never felt more complicated.
Yet, I think it has also had a lot to do with the recent events. I have never been asked to think so much about things that bring me pain. It's damn hard to think, ignoring the pain. But for once, I'm doing it Jace's way.
Taking a U-turn, he slows down a little, before pulling to a stop near a large house. It's more like a cottage than a house, with large windows and elegant design. The paint looks old, and the place is coated with dust, but it still stands out. We get out of the car without a word, and my heart speeds up at the sight of the closed front gate.
Jace turns to me. 'What was the first part of the story? Do you have it with you?'
I sigh. 'I remember it. Every word.'
He doesn't comments, just nods. But his eyes soften a little, almost unnoticeable.
'Tell me.'
I take a deep breath, bracing myself. And yet, the sound of Lucy's voice in my head still shakes me. I hear her whisper the words as they leave my lips at the same time.
'There was once a little girl who liked to read books. She liked in Mexico. In a cottage near a small beach. It was a beach that people visited often on holidays, but during the summer, it stayed deserted. The girl, she liked to run on the beach, feel the soft wind beneath her feet. She had crisp brown tanned skin, and sun-kissed blond hair and deep blue eyes that shone like diamonds.
