Page 83 of Only Be Mine

“He wouldn’t leave,” I said before I realized I’d spoken.

The officer turned. “Miss… Larkin?”

I nodded, numb.

“Your sister mentioned you and Mr. Rosewood had an argument earlier.”

“It wasn’t a fight,” I said, my voice shaking. “We made up. He was coming home.”

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll continue our search. If anything changes, call.”

They left shortly after.

The house emptied again, too fast this time.

I stood alone in the doorway, staring at John’s truck still parked outside, keys hung exactly where they always were.

I pulled out my phone and called him.

Straight to voicemail.

His voice filled the room, and my knees buckled.

“John,” I whispered, pressing the phone to my ear. “Please call me.”

The call ended.

And for the first time since he walked out into the rain, I couldn’t pretend this was temporary.

The certainty terrified me more than the waiting ever had.

John wasn’t just late.

He was gone.

Chapter 29

Cate

May 11 - Ten Years Ago

The house stayed quiet after everyone left.

Not the peaceful kind, nothing settled or calm, but hollow, like the walls were holding their breath along with me.

I locked the door out of habit. Checked it twice. Then a third time, even though John’s keys were still hanging on their hook by the garage door. I touched them without thinking, the cold metal biting into my fingertips.

If I moved them, I might admit something I wasn’t ready to say.

I wandered room to room, not looking for him exactly, just retracing the shape he’d left behind. I picked up a discarded sweatshirt and brought it to my nose.

Cedar. Clean cotton. John.

The smell hit harder than anything else had. Harder than the police. Harder than the empty bed.

I sank down onto the floor and held the shirt to my chest, breathing him in like it might anchor me. Like if I stayed still long enough, this moment could reverse itself.

It didn’t.