Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 47

The silence that followed was different. Not empty. Just full of things none of us knew how to say.

Tim pulled Inez closer. Her face folded in on itself, but she didn’t cry. Not this time. Drake lowered his head, pressing his cheek to Corey’s hair. Corey stirred, murmured something in his sleep, then settled again.

And James? He stayed on his knees. Crying. Real, gut-deep, shaking sobs. The kind that made you forget how to breathe. The kind that sounded like repentance. I didn’t know if I’d ever forgive him. But in that moment, I knew one thing for sure.

He loved her. God help him… he really did. But sometimes love isn’t enough. And sometimes, the people who hurt you the most are the ones who meant to save you.

The red and blue flashes pulled us all out of our daze. A police car rolled up to the curb, headlights still on. An officer stepped out, his expression unreadable under the brim of his cap.

“We saw her car driving north,” he said. “Near the outskirts. But that’s all we’ve got for now. The area’s rough, lots of blind spots. We’ll resume the search tomorrow.”

Then he left. Just like that. I stood frozen, watching the cruiser disappear into the dark, until Inez’s voice broke the silence.

“She’s up north.”

That was all it took.

We didn’t even speak. We just moved. I grabbed the keys and headed for the car. James followed without a word, slipping into the passenger seat. Tim, Inez, Drake, and Corey climbed in the back. No one argued. No one asked questions. We just went. The roads blurred beneath us, streetlights flickering and fading as we drove deeper into the quiet parts of town. Every second was a heartbeat too loud in my chest. James’s eyes scanned the darkness like he could will her into view. His hands clenched the edge of his seat so tightly I thought he might rip the leather. Inez held Tim’s hand in the back, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes wide and alert like she was praying without saying a word.

The silence in the car was the kind that buzzed. Not from noise, but from the sheer pressure of everything unsaid. We’d been driving for almost twenty minutes, and no one had spoken. The headlights washed over empty fields and winding roads, painting everything in temporary gold before swallowing it in shadow again. James sat beside me, too quiet. Breathing like each inhale was a punishment. I kept my eyes on the road, but every second that ticked by made my grip tighter on the wheel.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“So that’s it?” I said, my voice low but slicing. “You’re just gonna sit there and not say anything?”

He didn’t look at me. “What do you want me to say, Matt?”

I laughed, bitter. “I don’t know... maybe the truth? Maybe start with how long it’s been going on with Olive?”

Behind me, Inez shifted. I caught her reflection in the mirror, eyes red, jaw clenched.

James swallowed. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“That’s not an answer,” Tim said from the backseat. His tone was even, but his words dropped like stone. “You don’t trip and fall into someone’s bed, man. Especially not when Betty...” He stopped himself.

James finally turned to me. “It happened once. That night. After the fight.”

I slammed the brakes for a second, just hard enough to jolt the car forward before regaining speed.

“One night?” I repeated. “And that’s supposed to make it better?”

“I’m not saying it makes anything better. I’m just… I’m telling you the truth.”