CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Penelope's POV

The ride back to the city was quiet, save for the hum of the car engine and the occasional vibration of my phone against my thigh. 

The ride back to the city was an absolute silence, punctuated only by the steady hum of the car engine and the buzz of my phone against my thigh. 

As we glided through the darkness, I felt my thoughts begin to unravel. 

Yet, in this fleeting moment, I was content to let the stillness envelop me. The ride back to the city was a temporary reprieve, a chance to breathe, reflect, and let the world slow down its fast pace.

Julien had insisted I return to check on the situation surrounding my sister's disappearance. 

 With the way he made it sound like a matter of urgency, one would think he gave a fuck about Penelope. Meanwhile, he had rejected me cruelly and even made a fool of me at the prom party. Fuck him for real.

Madison's life was a delicate thread, and I had spent the past twenty-four hours weaving myself into it, trying to keep up the illusion. But that thread was unraveling now, and I could feel it slipping through my fingers.

I pressed a hand against my temple and exhaled slowly. Stay in control, I reminded myself. One wrong step, one misplaced word, and everything would collapse.

The driver—a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair and a stiff posture—glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "We'll be arriving shortly, Mrs. Laurent."

The title still felt foreign. Uncomfortable. I wasn't Mrs. Laurent. I wasn't even Madison.

I didn't respond, just kept my gaze on the city lights flashing past the window.

Then, just as we turned onto the street leading to the Julien's estate, I saw it.

A figure.

Lingering by the main gate.

Even in the dim light, I recognized him instantly.

Evan Harper.

A sharp jolt of panic shot through me.

"Stop the car," I said abruptly.

The driver hesitated. "Ma'am?"

"Stop the damn car," I snapped.

As soon as we slowed to a halt, I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid out. The night air was cool against my skin, but I barely noticed.

Evan's head lifted at the sound of the door closing. His eyes locked onto me, dark and stormy. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he took a step forward.

I had spent years reading his moods, and I knew instantly—he was furious.

"You have five minutes," I said, keeping my voice even. "Make it quick."

Evan didn't waste time with pleasantries.

His grip on my wrist was firm, dragging me toward the house with alarming ease.

By the time we stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind us, he was already on me.

His hands slammed into the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. His face was inches from mine, his breath hot against my cheek.

I swallowed hard. Why would he do this to Madison? What really happened between them? Something is wrong. I tried to mask my shock.

"What did I say would happen to you," he murmured, voice dangerously low, "if I didn't find Penelope in twenty-four hours?"

I forced myself to stay calm. "Evan—"

He cut me off with a sharp glare.

I gritted my teeth, shoving at his chest. "I don't know where she is."

His hands curled into fists. "You were the last person she spoke to before she disappeared. Both of you never speak. At least, you promised me that."

Promise him what? What is really going on between these two? Were they having an affair?

"She came to my hotel room," I admitted, keeping my voice measured. "That was it. That was the last time I saw her."

Evan studied me, searching for a crack in my story. "Penelope would never just leave," he said finally. "No matter what happened between us, she wouldn't run."

I barely stopped myself from scoffing.

"She loved me," Evan added.

Something inside me twisted violently.

I wanted to scream at him. Tell him he had no idea what love was, that the version of love he had offered me had been suffocating, that he had ruined me. How dare he think I wouldn't escape the cage he had trapped me into?

But I couldn't.

So, instead, I met his gaze and said, "Maybe she just needed space."

Evan let out a humourless laugh. "She wouldn't do that."

"She'll come back," I said, pushing past him. "Don't stress about it."

Evan didn't look convinced, but after a long moment, he exhaled sharply and stepped back.

"I'll find her," he said. "And if you know something you're not telling me, Madison—"

I held his gaze. "I don't."

A beat of silence.

Then, finally, he turned and left.

I stood there, unmoving, until I saw him disappear through the main gate.

Then, I moved.

My hands trembled as I reached for Madison's phone, my mind racing.

I needed answers.

I needed to know what Madison had been hiding.

I needed to know what her relationship with Evan was. Were they intimate behind my back? How did they even meet? And what promise was Evan talking about? I needed answers. And, I could only find them within the unlocked screen of Madison's phone.

I turned on the screen.

Passcode required.

I exhaled sharply, my fingers hovering over the numbers.

I tried the wedding date of Julien and Madison.

Incorrect.

Their anniversary.

Incorrect.

My birthday and Madison's.

Incorrect.

Julien's birthday.

Incorrect.

Damn it.

I had one more attempt.

My heart pounded as I racked my brain, biting anxiously at my nails.

Something personal. Something only Madison would use.

Think, Penelope.

Then, it hit me.

I hesitated.

It couldn't be.

But I typed it in anyway.

The day Julien had asked me out for prom.

The screen unlocked.

I froze.

My stomach dropped.

Why?

Why would that be the password?

A million thoughts collided in my head, but one stood out among the chaos.

Madison had a reason for choosing that date.

And I was going to find out why.