Chapter 218 He Won’t Find Her
Emilia’s POV
Straight to the point. I could respect that. Fine, then. I wouldn’t dance around it either.
"Can you take me to Abigail? There’s something I need to tell her."
His expression shifted, the easy smile fading. He was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "I’m sorry. I can’t do that."
"Why not? You know Sebastian is out looking for her right now. Do you really want him to find her first?"
"He won’t find her."
The certainty in Damien’s voice was unnerving.
The waiter brought our coffee. I took a quick sip, buying myself a moment to think. "If she’s already back, why is she hiding? What’s she after?"
"I don’t think you should meet her."
"What’s that supposed to mean? You think I’m going to go after her or something?"
"No, it’s not that."
"Then why won’t you let me see her? I just want to talk. That’s all."
Damien sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Abigail doesn’t want to see anyone right now. When she’s ready to meet you, she’ll reach out herself."
I stared at him, trying to read his face. He seemed sincere, but there was something he wasn’t telling me.
"Are you sure I can’t see her?"
"Yes."
One word. Final and unyielding.
"Fine." I set my cup down a little harder than I meant to. "If it’s that much trouble, I won’t push it."
I took another sip, but it tasted bitter now. All of this felt pointless.
After Damien left, I wandered the streets in a daze. I didn’t want to go home yet. Didn’t want to face Sebastian and pretend everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t.
The winter air bit at my cheeks as I walked, my hands shoved deep in my coat pockets. I didn’t know where I was going. Didn’t really care.
"Emilia! Emilia!"
Someone was calling my name. I stopped and turned, searching for the voice.
A car pulled up to the curb, and Claudine Tucker leaned out the window, waving at me with that warm smile of hers. My stomach sank a little. After the last time, I’d told myself I wouldn’t see her again. It was cleaner that way, less complicated. But standing here now, with her beaming at me like we were old friends, I couldn’t just walk off without being downright rude.
I walked over to her car, forcing a polite smile. "Claudine. What a coincidence."
She climbed out, practically bouncing at the sight of me. "Isn’t it? What are you doing out here? Shopping?"
"No, I just met up with a friend. I was heading home, actually."
Her eyes swept over my empty hands, then back to my face. "You didn’t drive?"
"No, I walked."
"Perfect!" She clapped her hands together. "You don’t have anything urgent at home, do you? Come have dinner with me. I know a wonderful little place, the kind you can never get into without a reservation. You’ll love it."
I hesitated, scrambling for a graceful way out. "I really shouldn’t keep imposing on you like this..."
"Imposing?" Claudine reached out and took my hand, her expression shifting to mock indignation. "It’s just dinner, Emilia. Is spending an evening with me really so hard?"
She looked like a sulking child despite her age, and I felt my resolve crumble.
"Well, when you put it that way..." I gave in with a sigh. "Alright. Dinner sounds good."
As we started toward her car, something caught the corner of my eye. A sleek black luxury car rolled past the corner. Something about it felt familiar, unsettlingly so.
My steps slowed as I tried to get a better look, but Claudine was already tugging me along, brimming with enthusiasm.
"Come on, come on! If we don’t hurry, we’ll hit the dinner rush!"
I let her pull me along, but my mind stayed on that car.
The restaurant was warm and low-lit, the air rich with the smell of butter and slow-roasted meat, quiet conversation drifting between the tables. Claudine ordered a lot, talking animatedly about her business ventures in France while course after course arrived at our table.
"So I told my business partner, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. No cutting corners, no half measures..." She trailed off, her brow creasing as she studied my face. "Emilia, you’ve barely touched your plate. Are you feeling alright?"
I blinked, realizing I’d been pushing the same piece of beef around my plate for the last five minutes. "I’m fine."
"You look pale. Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?"
"Really, I’m okay. I just didn’t sleep well last night."
Claudine set down her fork, her expression turning serious. "Did your husband do something to upset you?"
"What? No, of course not." The denial came out too fast.
"Emilia." She reached across the table, her voice gentle but firm. "When I first met you, you were so vibrant, so full of life. But now... you seem weighed down by something. I know we’ve only met a few times, and I’m not expecting you to pour your heart out to me. But if there’s ever anything you need to talk about, anything at all, I want you to know you can call me. Anytime."
Her kindness hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed against the sudden tightness in my throat.
"Thank you, Claudine. I really appreciate it. I’ll remember that."
"Good." She picked up her fork again, her smile returning. "Now eat. I didn’t order all this just to watch it go cold."
I managed a real smile this time and took a proper bite. "Yes, ma’am."
By the time Claudine dropped me at the pack house, it was well past nine. The lights were still on in the living room, which was odd. Mila usually went to bed early these days.
I pushed open the front door and found her on the couch, very much awake and clearly waiting up for someone.
"Mom? You’re still up?"
"Emilia, come here." She patted the seat beside her. "I need to ask you something."
A prickle of unease ran down my spine as I crossed the room and sat. "What’s wrong?"
"Where did you have dinner tonight?"
"With a friend."
Mila’s eyes narrowed. "And would this friend’s last name happen to be Tucker?"