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“I’m happy,” she tells him.
Happy.
There were so many times before I met her that I would describe myself as successful. I would use words like “strategic” or “a shark.” Now, though, I like the idea of being happy.
I like that this is the word she’s chosen, and I agree with it.
I do feel happy.
And somehow, seeing Aaron is healing to me, too. It’s freeing knowing that after all of this time, Alex finally has answers.
“I should get going,” Aaron finally says. He stands and offers us each a hug. When he leaves, Alex watches until he’s out of sight.
“How does it feel?” I ask her. “All of this time, you finally got to see him.” I wonder if it’s overwhelming to her. She still hasn’t cried. For some reason, I really thought she would. Then, she looks over at me.
“Ryan, that wasn’t my brother.”
“What?”
“I don’t know who that was or who sent him, but it wasn’t Aaron.”
“Um, explain. We just went through this whole song and dance. What about the childhood memories?”
“I lied,” she said. “Fake Aaron brought up the idea of family vacations. We never had those. He never played catch with dad because we lived in an apartment and didn’t have a yard. And the video game thing? We didn’t have a television. That guy might know about Aaron, but he’s not Aaron.”
Her brother is still missing.
“I’m going to help you,” I promise her. “I’ll tear the world apart.”
“I know you will.”
I pull her into my arms. Devastation washes over me as I realize that I failed to do the one thing she needed. She needed me to find Aaron, and I didn’t. I uncovered something deeper and more terrifying than I could have possibly imagined, and now I’m faced with an even harder question.
If that wasn’t Aaron, then who was it?
And why?
36.
Alex
Something has happened to my brother. I don’t know what, and I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a renewed desperation to find him for real. Ryan promises to help me, and I believe him. I also realize that it’s going to take more than just money this time. It’s going to take power. Whoever has him is pulling some serious strings. Hiring an actor to play Aaron was something that required planning and precision.
This means these people aren’t playing around.
