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While he watched her, his hatred continued to grow. Emma was leaving more disasters in her wake, and there was no way to make her repair them.
23
Emily
Emma hurried inside, ducking her head so none of the Palmer family could see just how upset she was. Already, she could tell she was a complete wreck. Her skin felt tight and dry from all the tears. Her eyes itched with every movement.
On the way home, her chest hurt so much she thought she might be having a heart attack and she’d pulled over on the side of the road. When she’d confirmed it was just a pain she’d never experienced before—the pain of losing someone she loved—she’d forced herself to finish the drive back to Sophia’s home.
It had taken a good ten minutes to get up the courage to go inside. She knew she’d inevitably bump into someone in Sophia’s family. And just like the revelation when she’d met Charlie, Emma knew it wouldn’t go over very well.
There was a very real chance that Caleb would tell Mateo. Emma didn’t know Sophia’s brother well enough to gaugewhether she’d be safe here after that. If Mateo had a similar outlook as Caleb, she might be on the road a lot sooner than she’d planned.
Emma made it to Sophia’s room and shut the door as quickly as she possibly could. All she had to do was hide away for the next twenty-four hours, then she could catch the bus in town and leave.
Twenty-four hours. That was the soonest she’d be able to leave this place and all the bad memories it held behind.
Leaning against the door, she listened for any sign that she’d been followed up to Sophia’s room. The only one she expected was Sophia herself. And since they’d been sharing a room since her friend had returned home, Sophia was bound to notice something had changed. It was only a matter of time.
When Emma was no longer worried about an intrusion, she walked across the room and picked up her phone. The temptation to go through her notifications wasn’t nearly strong enough that she was willing to put herself through that sort of trauma—not after what she’d already gone through.
Already, she knew that more than half of them would be frustrated or angry messages from people whose lives she’d upended.
Tossing the phone on the bed once more, she leaned over. Elbows on her knees and head in her hands, she sucked in several deep breaths. That interaction with Caleb had been ten times worse than she had planned. She’d known he was going to be upset—but to that degree?
The worst part was that she couldn’t blame him. He had every right to be upset, and she knew it. Caleb had been nothing but upfront about his views on trust and people who lied or manipulated others. Even with that information, she’d kept so much from him. She really was the villain in this story.
Her hands grew wet as more tears fell. Her sniffles became more frequent by the minute and loud enough that she didn’t hear when the door opened. The first indication that someone was in the room with her was the mattress compressing at her side.
Emma gasped, jumping up and away from the bed only to find a very concerned Sophia staring up at her.
“What’s the matter?” she asked quietly.
Emma shook her head vehemently. “No. I can’t. Not you, too.”
Sophia stood slowly. “You can’t what? What happened when you went to visit Caleb?” She frowned, her brows pulling together and her eyes flashing with anger. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Shaking her head again, Emma turned away from her friend. “He didn’t do anything.”
“Your tears beg to differ. I mean it, Emily. If you need me to, I’ll send Mateo over there?—”
Emma whirled around, her voice sharp. “No!” When Sophia stilled, surprise replacing the anger, Emma’s voice softened. “No, he doesn’t have to do that. I’m fine.”
“Again, it sure doesn’t look like you’re fine. Does this have anything to do with the fact that you’re Emma Hart?”
Blood drained from Emma’s face. Her legs weakened so dramatically that she stumbled back a few steps to lean against the doorway. She gaped at Sophia, unable to find the words to ask her when or how she’d found out.
Caleb. That had to be the only way. Or maybe Charlie. Either one of them could have called and alerted the Palmers to the fact that they were housing a fugitive.
Sophia rose to her feet, her hands shoved into her pockets. “You’re wondering how I know, aren’t you?”
Emma nodded.
She offered Emma a smile. “I’ve been listening to your music since you were singing covers on YouTube. I would have recognized you if you dyed your hair red and wore purple contacts.”
This wasn’t the revelation Emma had been prepared for. Sophia hadn’t given Emma any clues that she recognized her—not from the first moment they’d met all the way to this moment in time. “But your brothers and sisters?—”
“Oh, yeah. They know too. But I swore them to secrecy.” Sophia tilted her head, and her eyes danced with amusement. “Wasn’t easy, either—especially when your manager lady was trying all sorts of stuff to smoke you out. Man, she must be something else for you to go to such lengths to get away.”
