Free Web NovelChapter 107: Chapter 107 Closing In
Jade’s POV
"I miss them,” I said again, louder this time, as if repeating it would make it less real.
But it didn’t.
It only made it worse.
Because then another truth followed it.
“I still love them.”
The words came out before I could stop them.
And immediately, something inside me broke.
“No,” I said sharply, shaking my head. “No, no, no.”
I stood up abruptly, pacing the small room.
“I don’t love them,” I insisted. “I can’t. I shouldn’t.”
My hands clenched.
“They didn’t believe me. They never believed me when it mattered.”
My voice rose.
“They chose her.”
The name tasted bitter.
I stopped pacing.
Breathing hard.
My eyes burned.
And then I sank back onto the bed, covering my face with my hands.
“I hate this,” I whispered.
The room did not answer.
A knock came sometime later.
Soft.
Careful.
I tensed immediately.
“Jade?” Elias’ voice.
I exhaled shakily. “It’s open.”
He stepped in slowly, holding a small cup.
“You didn’t eat,” he said.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re crying.”
“I’m not.”
He gave me a look that said he was not going to argue with that lie.
Then he sat beside me, not too close.
Just enough that I knew he was there.
“Bad day?” he asked quietly.
I nodded.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head.
He didn’t push.
He just stayed.
And that alone made something inside me loosen.
Minutes passed.
Then I spoke without meaning to.
“I miss them.”
Elias didn’t react dramatically.
He just nodded slowly.
“That’s normal,” he said.
“It’s not,” I replied immediately.
“It is,” he said gently.
I looked at him sharply. “You don’t understand.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not. But I understand missing people who hurt you.”
That made me go still.
My hands trembled again.
“I shouldn’t miss them,” I whispered.
“Feelings don’t listen to should,” he said simply.
That made something in my throat tighten painfully.
I pressed my palm against my eyes.
“I hate myself for it.”
Elias shook his head. “Don’t.”
But I did.
I really did.
A long silence followed.
Then he said, “You’re carrying a lot more than just grief, aren’t you?”
I froze.
My hand instinctively went to my stomach.
He noticed.
But still did not push.
“I won’t ask,” he said quietly. “Not if you’re not ready.”
That should have made me feel safe.
And it did.
But only a little.
Because safety felt like something I was no longer allowed to have.
The next morning started like all the others.
Work.
Exhaustion.
The dull rhythm of survival.
But something changed around midday.
A woman came into the shop.
Older.
Polite at first.
Then she stopped suddenly when she saw me.
Her eyes narrowed.
Like she was trying to place me.
“Excuse me,” she said slowly. “Have we met before?”
“No,” I said quickly, turning away.
But she did not leave.
Instead, she pulled out her phone.
Scrolled.
Then turned it toward me.
My stomach dropped instantly.
It was a newspaper article.
Not recent.
But recent enough.
A photo.
Not clear.
But unmistakable enough.
My face.
My name.
The words “missing” and “unconfirmed disappearance” blurred across the screen.
My breath caught.
The woman’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
I stepped back immediately.
“No,” I said quickly. “That’s not me.”
But my voice shook.
She looked between me and the phone.
Then at me again.
And I saw it.
Recognition fully forming now.
“Oh my God,” she repeated again, louder this time.
My heart slammed in my chest.
Elias appeared from the back room immediately.
“What’s going on?”
The woman pointed at me. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
“She’s the girl,” she said. “She’s the one people have been looking for.”
The world tilted.
My fingers went cold.
People are looking for me.
That thought did not feel like hope.
It felt like danger.
Because if people were looking...
Then so were they.
Ronan.
Ryder.
Renzo.
And worse...
So was Linda.
My breath came out uneven.
Elias stepped in front of me slightly, protective.
“Leave,” he said calmly to the woman.
But she was already backing away, still staring.
Still confirming.
Still realizing.
When she finally left, silence fell heavy in the shop.
Elias turned to me slowly.
“You need to sit down,” he said.
But I was already shaking my head.
“No,” I whispered.
Because suddenly, everything I had been building fell apart inside my mind.
Safety.
Distance.
New life.
It was all fragile.
And now it had been seen.
“I need to go,” I said.
Elias frowned. “Go where?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I did not know anymore.
Only one thing was certain.
I had been found.
Or worse.
I was about to be.
