Page 155 of Symphony for Lies

But then I looked at him closer.

His shoulders were rigid. His grip on the papers was almost too tight. His knuckles were white, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

So… it was getting to him. Somehow, that only made me angrier because while he could wallow in regret, I was the one who had lost his woman.

We all love Amelia.

Those words echoed in my head. I wasn’t the only one who loved her.

Fuck. I was desperate.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall anything that could help.

The day I was taken was dark and cold. It happened too fast, on a day when I was planning to tell Amelia that no one, not my mother or the Arias, could keep me from her. And then… I was gone.

I tried reconstructing the details. But there was nothing.

By the time I woke up, I was already tied up in that basement. Blindfolded. I couldn’t see anything. Even when the captor gave me water, I had been too out of it to process anything. No sounds. No voices. No clues.

But then there was Amelia.

The blinding light had hit my face as she tore the cloth from my eyes. And for a moment, I truly saw her the way I always saw her in my mind’s eye, like a fucking angel.

“Mr.Cole, I’m trying to talk to you.” Spencer’s voice yanked me out of my trance.

I jerked the car to the side and slammed the brakes.

My body shook, and my hands trembled as I dragged them through my hair. My breathing was erratic and shallow. I couldn’t get enough air.

“I-I can’t focus.” My heart pounded so hard I thought my ribs might crack under the pressure. The air in the car felt suffocating, tightening around my throat.

“Mr. Cole. Take a moment.”

Spencer rolled down the windows, and the frosty wind crashed through the car, hitting my skin like needles. Slowly, painfully, my body started to come down from the edge.

I sucked in a deep puff of air. Held it. Exhaled. Rinse and repeat.

Cars blurred past us, wind rattling against the frame of the vehicle. But inside, I still felt empty.

I had just gotten her back.

And she was gone. Again.

Cold. So fucking cold.

I shut my eyes. How the fuck am I supposed to find her? What if she was… already dead? What if I was too late? What if I found her like that bird?

My stomach twisted violently.

Oh God.

“She’s alive,” Spencer stated firmly.His gaze was unwavering. “Mr. Cole, Amelia is alive. I believe that.”

His conviction was the only thing keeping me from breaking apart.

He pointed to his notes. “The killer tested Amelia. He sent her coded messages that only a few people could decipher. He challenged her with your abduction. The message said that he would win if she found you. That means he was waiting for her to figure it out. You were never the target.”

The third victim was someone Amelia deeply cared for. Susan Rivers. There was a message at the scene. ‘You saw the signs, but do you see the truth? We will meet soon.’ Clearly, it was a message to Amelia.”

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