Chapter Thirty-four

Cecilia

The shots continued, much like the setting off of firecrackers. They echoed through the woods, bouncing from tree to tree. I’d dropped the phone somewhere to the ground as I listened to the resounding silence. The shots were over and though I hadn’t been hit, I felt their impact, leaving a gaping hole in my body where my heart had been.

Greyson was gone.

I knew that with every fiber of my being.

Was it possible to love someone I barely knew?

Was I mourning the man I’d met or was I lamenting the crushing impossibility of a childish wish?

My head ached as my body trembled. I’d been through so much, survived, and moved on, and now, at the sound of gunshots, I couldn’t lift myself from the dirt- and leaf-covered ground.

Maybe if I remained still, the people with the guns would come for me too.