THIRTY-SIX
THERE WASN’T ENOUGH air in the world. Gia didn’t sit with her brother and father on the plane, which saved her from talking. There weren’t enough words in the world either. The time away from her sibling and parent let her absorb this reality.
No more Brogan.
Not because she didn’t love him or he didn’t care for her, because she’d made a choice. Both factions had better things to do with their time than battle each other over her. That was egotistical, on the Sear side anyway, it wasn’t about her. They just needed to win.
Well done.
Congratulations.
The Sears were the victors.
Some of them anyway.
Not her.
She’d never won and never would.
Late, in the dark, the car pulled up to the Sear house and the door was opened.
She didn’t wait or acknowledge Twyla and went straight upstairs to her room.
Was she mad? Sure. That wasn’t the emotion that kept her mouth clamped shut until she was sitting alone on the floor of her shower with water battering down upon her.
She didn’t want to let the tears out. That would be an admission of her fate. What would be the point of considering what to say to Brogan or how to explain? When, in truth… she may never get the chance.
The only reason she forced herself out of the spray was because she desperately wanted to hear from him. How could she think in one moment she’d never see him again, then in the next pray her phone would ring?
Nothing. She heard nothing. Maybe the bathroom was too far from the purse she’d thrown on the bed.
Or that’s what she thought.
Her purse was there, yes, but her cellphone wasn’t inside. Had she been so out of it…? It wasn’t in the dock on her nightstand either.
If it wasn’t there… maybe if it rang… it could’ve vibrated off the nightstand. She dropped to all fours, scrambling around the floor searching for it.
Nothing.
Sitting up, slumped against the side of the bed, heart pounding in her chest, she held in a scream. Only her father or Bram could have taken her phone. Much as she wanted to seek them out and argue for it back, she was too tired for another fight.
And what would it change?
Crawling up into her bed, heartache overwhelmed her. Brogan would call and when he did, if whoever had taken it answered, they’d be in for a real surprise.
This would take time for all of them. Time. For the pain to fade. Please don’t let it take too long.