Page 162 of The Midnight Frequency

Then I was out of my chair.

By the time I was out of the doorway, ignoring the calls from Mr. Lane, I could see Maggie yanking open the door to the stairwell.

I didn’t stop to think.

I followed.

The door slammed closed behind me, leaving no sounds but her frantic feet on the steps and hiccuping cries.

I flew down the steps after her.

“Maggie…”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

[ “SOMETIMES LOVING SOMEONE means accepting that they failed you, but believing they can choose differently next time.”

— Hell & High Notes - Live]

Maggie

I couldn’t breathe the second he came into the room. It was like he’d sucked up all the air, and my lungs were collapsing under their own weight.

I could feel the pressure of his anger, his disappointment, his resentment, and, yes, underneath all that, pain.

It was as present in the room as all the people gathered around. A living, breathing thing leaning over my chair, whispering all the terrible things I’d done, all the ways I’d hurt him.

All I could think as Mr. Lane talked about the future of the show, about how we could spin this to benefit us all, was that I had no idea how I could stand talking to Silas like strangers after all that we’d shared.

But also that I owed him whatever he wanted or needed from me after what I’d done.

That said, as soon as the words were out of me, I knew I had seconds to get out of that room before I curled up in a ball on the floor and sobbed in front of everyone.

The patch job I’d done before the meeting was failing me by the second, stress cracking straight through my foundations.

I had to get somewhere private before I fractured apart once again.

But as I raced down the steps, I heard footsteps behind me, catching up, too fast for a mortal.