Page 80 of Loving Violet
“That’s impressive!” Mom says. “We might even make it to your soccer game and cheer you on.”
Adrian’s face flushes. “Really? That’d be super awesome. Bruh, did you hear that? Your parents are coming to my game!”
I smirk, catching Violet rolling her eyes at the “bruh”. She hates when he calls me that, but the kid’s clearly excited, so she let it slide. The table erupts in laughter, and the banter rolls on with everyone swapping stories like old friends.
As the last crumbs of cheesecake disappear, I glance around the table. Violet’s chatting with my mom, Adrian’s listening intently to my dad, and for the first time, everything feels just… right.
When it’s time to leave, Mom pulls Violet in for a hug that lasts a beat too long. “It was so nice to meet you both,” she says, beaming.
Then she turns to Adrian, wrapping him in a gentler hug. “You take good care of your mom, okay?”
Adrian nods, his chest puffing out. “I will, Mrs. Caldwell.”
Dad claps Adrian lightly on the shoulder and gives Violet a warm smile. “You’re welcome here anytime.”
As we step toward the door, Mom calls out one last thing. “Oh, Violet! In a few weeks, I’m inviting Austin’s siblings and their kids over. Youhaveto come. Promise me you’ll make it?”
Violet smiles nervously but nods. “Of course. We’d love to.”
“That’s great. It was so nice to meet you both,” my mom says again, her eyes shining with happiness.
“Likewise. Thanks for having us. The meal was delicious,” Violet responds.
We wave our goodbyes and step out into the cool evening air. As we walk to the car, I can’t help but feel that the night went well.
Driving back home, Violet reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Your parents are wonderful,” she says softly.
I smile, squeezing back. “They think the same about you.”
Adrian, sitting in the backseat, chimes in. “Yeah, your mom’s pretty cool, Austin. And the food was great.”
We all laugh at Adrian words, as we drive back home I realize that this feels like a real family.
When we get to Violet’s apartment it’s almost nightfall and the warm glow from the evening's dinner starts to fade. Adrian heads to the back to play soccer, and I pull Violet into my arms, holding her close. “Thank you for tonight,” I whisper.
She looks up at me, her eyes soft and loving. “Of course.”
Just as we’re about to relax, Violet’s eyes widen, and she gasps. “Austin, look!”
I follow her gaze to the front door. There, lying lifeless on the welcome mat, is a dead rat. A chill runs down my spine as I notice a note pinned beside it.
I quickly move forward and pick up the note, my hands trembling. The words are scrawled in a menacing script:
This will be him if you don’t let him go.
The sight of the rat and the note sends a wave of fear and anger crashing over me. I turn to Violet, her face pale and eyes wide with terror.
“We need to call the police again,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “This isn’t over.”
Violet nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes, we need to tell them.”
Holding the note tightly, I dial the police, knowing that the battle to protect Violet and Adrian has just begun.
Chapter 27
Violet
The glowfrom our wonderful evening with Austin's parents fades quickly as we pull into my apartment. Adrian heads to the back, and I smile at Austin, still happy from how our dinner went.
