Page 27 of Mine Again
“Apparently there’s a fire in the kitchen,” Mia says, grabbing my arm. “We have to go!”
The corridor fills with shouting. Staff rush past, ushering people out.
The sprinklers kick in.
We’re soaked in seconds. My dress clings to my skin, my hair sticks to my face.
Mari grabs my other hand and the three of us run, water streaming off us as we head for the exit, where Mamma, Sienna, and Ari are already waiting.
I glance back one more time, and Sebastian stands unmoving in the chaos, his eyes locked on me as if nothing else exists.
And for a moment, I feel like the center of something I can’t explain.
Chapter Nine
Isabella
“Ifeel like a drowned cat,” Mia mutters as we climb the stairs to our rooms.
“You look like one,” Sienna shoots back with a grin.
She, Ari, and Mamma escaped the restaurant seconds before the sprinklers went off.
Mari chuckles quietly. “At least the food was good before the flood.”
“It sure made for an exciting end to the night,” I chime in. “Hopefully, nobody got hurt.”
My sisters hum in agreement.
“Happy birthday again, Isa,” Ari says, kissing my cheek as we reach the top landing. “Love you.”
“Love you too. Night, girls.”
They linger a second longer, hugging me one by one.
As I turn toward my room, my heart flutters. My sisters steal another glance in my direction before disappearing down the hall. They wonder as much as I do.
The hallway light casts a faint glow across the door, its center darkened by my shadow.
Light and dark.
Hope and fear.
All of it playing out inside me.
There’s probably nothing waiting for me, no chocolates from Luca againthisyear. But the foolish hope inside me won’t ease up.
With a fortifying inhale, I push down the handle and enter my room, closing the door behind me. My eyes are fixed on my hands. They’re shaking, the knot in my chest tightening.
I don’t want to look. Don’t want to confirm what I’ve come to expect.
Please let him have remembered this year.Please let there be a sign he’s alive and still mine.Please. Please. Please.
Slowly, I lift my gaze from my hands and let it wander to the bed.
My stomach sinks… then my heart.
The bed is empty. Still perfectly made. Unchanged.
