Page 25 of Vintage

Where the hell has Ro disappeared?

I couldn't hold back any longer; tears streamed down my cheeks, shattering the silence in the car.

"It's all my fault. If only I had listened to him, if I hadn't rushed things and made hasty decisions without thinking. If I hadn't turned everything that happened into an exception to my better judgment and just approached it logically." I cried, my sobs echoing in the confined space.

The longer we sat in that silence, the emptiness inside me grew.

It's insane how I could even consider leaving the man who made me feel so alive, so happy, and so deeply in love.

"I just want to see him, even if it's just once, Darius. Just once." I managed to get the words out between my loud sobs and gasps, feeling like I was sacrificing everything within me, because without him, I felt utterly lost.

Darius sighed. "Don't blame yourself... It was my idea to confront him, and I selfishly asked you to come and witness his behavior. If I had suspected something different and hadn’t provoked you without knowing the consequences, maybe none of this would have happened. I’m the real villain in this situation, Amery. If you need to place blame, it should be on me."

If blaming could somehow lead me to Ro, I would take every ounce of blame there was to take.

I jumped in my seat feline, startled by the sudden call from Darius' phone.

He quickly answered, and whatever the person on the other end said, I could tell he was not happy about it.

When he ended the call, I braced myself for whatever he was about to say, knowing it wouldn’t be good news either.

"Ace called… Do not panic… He’s at Willow’s estate."

I growled so loudly that Darius flinched. Nevertheless, he moved the car into reverse, and made a U-turn, steering us toward the unsettling part of town, which felt even more ominous now that night had fallen. This area, where the mansion stood, was one that the townsfolk typically avoided.

As we approached, the surroundings grew increasingly desolate and forsaken, and at one point, even the street dogs, who usually howled like lunatics at night, vanished from sight.

The engine finally stopped, and Darius exited the vehicle. I followed him out, only to be confronted by the Victorian manor that had become the subject of criminal tales and ghostly legends told by those who still feared the supposed curse of Willow Crest.

Darius and I shared a glance as we stepped forward together, making our way to the manor's front gate.

The lake beyond the manor was shrouded in fog, and the surrounding willow trees sent a chill down my spine. I was terrified; this place was no laughing matter. I hated it before. I hate it now too. Nothing has changed.

We halted at the imposing gates, and Darius pressed the doorbell, but nothing happened. He glanced at me, then pressed the bell again, this time lingering on that infuriating switch, yet to our dismay, no one answered.

I felt crushed.

Even for the sake of our shared history, I longed for Ro to come out and see me, to let me glimpse him and reassure myself that he was doing well, even without me.

The sound of crunching leaves and the clatter of a shovel perked my ears.

In an attempt to calm my frayed nerves, I clutched the edge of Darius's t-shirt, and he shot me a disapproving look before pulling me along with him around the house, leading us from the yard toward the expansive lake and a garden that was barely discernible.

Yet, the sweet fragrance of flowers and the strangely lit atmosphere felt out of place.

In the garden's corner, a shadowy figure stood with a shovel, and I instinctively inched closer to Darius.

The man had a dark, brooding presence, and as he pressed down on the shovel with his foot, forcing it deeper into the earth, my fingers slipped from their hold on Darius' t-shirt.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me who he was. My feet moved toward him instinctively, despite Darius warning me about the potential danger of my actions.

Ignoring Darius, I hurried to the man and stood beside him. He lifted his gaze, and even in the pitch black, his striking blue eyes sparkled under the faint moonlight and the mist that hung in the air. They shone like a precious gem pulled from the depths of the sea, and I found myself momentarily breathless.

"Ro." The name escaped my lips, and he recoiled, his eyes widening in shock. He tossed the shovel aside and turned to flee into the manor, but I quickly followed, seizing his arm to prevent him from escaping.

Darius didn’t say a word, but he helped illuminate the surrounding with his phone's flashlight, and I gasped at the sight before me.

Cuts. Bruises. Gashes and wounds.

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