Adam stared at the paper for far too long, trying to decipher if it was perhaps a joke. He couldn't remember the name of the girl who had left it, but he would need to ask John again.
He needed to find her, to question her on how she had Eleanor's ring. He would only do so if the hand writing and the prints on the box matched those of Eleanor. He had gone crazy, wishing he had put a tracker in the ring to begin with. And again, he felt like punching his entire home down. He'd torn down the pictures by the staircase in anguish once he came home from hours on the street that awful night.
He yawned, it was way past midnight when his phone began to ring. He looked outside, his heart racing rapidly as he imagined Eleanor walking through those doors in her lingerie trying to seduce him as she'd done many times before, before she loved him. He smiled at the wall.
He was obsessed.
While the whole world rested in silence, Adam remained wide awake. He felt incapable of shutting his eyes like he had for months. What if Eleanor was to come home.
He took a deep breath, covering himself with sweatpants and a shirt and began another midnight run. He'd done so every night for the past eight months, and the news stations definitely noticed the intense amount of muscle he had built.
He ran out the doors, past the gatekeeper and onto the street, his speed quickened as he rushed past the street Eleanor had died.
And then there it was, the people he had been dreading for months. They must have been keeping track of him. A camera flash went off as people took many pictures of Adam. He sprinted past them, sweat trickling down as he wiped it from his brow.
His phone began ringing and he took this moment to catch his breath.
"Hello?" Adam said.
"Adam, you're awake? Could you come over?" It was Magdelene's voice, the girl he was supposed to marry in under three months.
He took a deep breath and changed direction, "on my way."
~🥀~
Josiah stood beside his car as the mechanic continued spouting out prices for parts that needed to be fixed. Eleanor stood silently beside him.
"Maybe we can just take a bus home, we barely use the car anyway." Eleanor said, the sky had shaded itself black and with it left tons of white spots. She glanced at the old garage. Her eyes landed on a glowing light, it was two fifty-three a.m. She groaned.
Not only had the insurance company taken forever to show up, they had also forgotten the tow truck and had to drive back to bring another person who also took a long time to show up.
And then the mechanic. Eleanor groaned again as she wrapped her slender fingers around Josiah's strong arms, pulling him close for warmth.
"Yeah, maybe, but I don't think any bus stations are open right now." Josiah said. He rubbed his temples. If he was frustrated, he hid it well.
"How much would you be willing to sell this car for?" The mechanic suddenly asked.
Josiah's eyes widened as he stared at the mechanic. "How much are you offering?"
"I can give you four thousand and take it off your hands."
Josiah turned to Eleanor who didn't look at him. She wanted him to make the decision, it was his car afterall.
"I'll sell it only if you give us a ride to the nearest hotel." Josiah said, pulling Eleanor tighter into him.
"Deal." The mechanic smiled, his mustache turning upwards. He walked inside and stepped out with the money in cash. He then hit something inside Josiah's car and it started. That's precisely the moment they'd realized he cheated them. But it was too late. Too dark to argue. Josiah wasn't the kind of guy to care much for material possessions. He was a sweet caring man who just wanted wellness and peace- hence being a doctor.
Josiah didn't seem regretful as he took the money and sat in his car. The mechanic drove to a luxurious place and dropped them off. They thanked the cheating man and headed inside, leaving Josiah's precious memorable car behind.
The mechanic drove home, a smirk plastered on his face as he drove quickly. He knew this was a bargain, would've cost him a couple more thousand if he'd bought it elsewhere.
And yet, right as the thoughts entered his mind, he swerved and drove off the road. His smirk was still plastered on his face as he drove straight into a tree, angry now that it would cost more than a couple thousand to fix this car now.
~🌼~
Eleanor sat nervously, her fingers fidgeting with the tassels of her sweater. That's all she liked to wear now, comfortable and unattractive clothing.
She wondered how Adam would react, wanting so badly to know. She ran her hands through her hair.
"Bree, you haven't slept in two days, are you sure you're okay?" Eleanor froze, she had thought Josiah would be asleep by now. She hasn't noticed that he noticed her insomnia.
"I'm fine, just homesick." Her words had multiple meanings.
She was anxious. Josiah sat up beside her and pulled her close, rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms.
"Is something bothering you?"
For a split second she contemplated spilling her guts and telling him the truth. Her secret was hers alone, she couldn't trust anyone with it- not even someone like Josiah. He deserved far better than living this lie with Bree Walker.
"No," she shook her head, moving to lie down beside him and shut her eyes. After a few minutes, the room filled with light snores as Eleanor sat wide awake staring at the ceiling.
She needed to leave this state, and soon. She didn't want to be found out. She lay there wide awake until the morning came.
"Bree?" Josiah asked, looking directly at her, "Did you sleep at all?" He reached over and held her hand. She shifted, the bags had become more defined under her eyes now. She hadn't slept since they got here and she couldn't until they leave.
"No, but we should get going today." She said, she had spent too much time here. She felt as though she had compromised her plan and she didn't want Josiah getting in trouble for her actions.
"Yeah, but its new years eve, the stations are closed... " More obstacles stood in her way. Any door that opened was shut and any window found was nailed with wood.
"We can walk then!" She erupted.
"Bree, maybe you should eat something, relax, one more day is fine we can get home by tomorrow."
"Josiah," she cried, "I haven't slept in three days! I'm exhausted and I just want to go home." She was being irrational, there was no way to possibly get home today, but she had to try. The snow had covered the entire city in thick layers and it was below freezing.
"I'll see if we can get a taxi, we have four thousand dollars right now, so maybe we can get home in a few hundred." Josiah smiled sweetly as Eleanor looked up at him with watery eyes wondering what she did to deserve such a kind man in her life. Her thoughts immediately flickered to Adam- two kind men in her life.
"Thanks Joe." She whispered, scooting closer and hugging him. She got out of the bed and went to the bathroom.
After brushing her teeth and taking her time in the shower, she walked out to find Josiah's eyes popping out as he stared at the screen. The volume was extremely loud as she heard the most comforting, familiar voice go hard and dark. It shook her as she and Josiah glanced at each other, then both at the screen.
"I am looking for a girl named Bree Walker. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes. She's about five foot seven or somewhere along those lines. If you see or hear from this girl, please call the police and report her to me. Bree if you are hearing this, we need to talk."
Her heart stopped. Adam was staring directly at the camera, his brown eyes boring into the souls of the millions of people watching.
"Damn it." Eleanor muttered.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Josiah asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He crossed his arms, "Have you been going behind my back and... some celebrity crush! I can't believe you, why did you want to leave? What's going on Bree?!" Josiah was baffled and anger consumed him. Had she been cheating on him with her celebrity crush? How did she even get in contact with someone like Adam Carnegie? Josiah stared at her, confused and annoyed. But all Eleanor could think of was how Josiah never would have questioned her if his stupid car never broke down.
Eleanor had forgotten he was still there and tugged on her braid.
What had she gotten herself into? She had some serious explaining to do.