All Chapters of Whispers of the Heart: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped as he told me the last part. I quickly covered my mouth with my hands as my eyes filled with tears, feeling so sorry for that girl and that whole situation. She had really loved him and wanted to be with him but her dad thought he knew what was best for her with keeping them apart and ultimately, they all lost. Well, everyone except Phil, it seems. He got what he wanted from her, never cared for her to begin with and then took a bribe from her father and walked away with cash in hand, his ultimate ‘screw you’ to all of them.I realized as he was telling me this last part and how victorious he looked through all of it, how proud of himself he seemed, that I really did not know Phillip Clark at all. Never would I have ever imagined that this would have been his childhood. He always seemed so put together, so normal almost to the point of boring, even. There were still gaps missing that I needed to know about so I let him continue. As if he could rea

Owen followed me inside the house, locking the back door behind us. When I gave him a questioning look, he simply shrugged his shoulders as he answered.“I still don’t trust the guy. I’m not leaving you until Barb and John get home.”“I’m sure it will be fine. He seemed pretty stable when he left here.”“I don’t know about stable. Placated maybe but not stable. You don’t mind, do you? It will just make me feel better.”“No, I don’t mind. I love having you here with me. What will your parents say if you don’t come home?”“I’ll just shoot dad a text that I’m staying at Gary’s house tonight. I’ll shoot Gary one, too, just in case.”“Sounds like you have done this before.”“Yeah but the difference is, I am at Gary’s usually. I just don’t know who all they have over for dinner tonight and I don’t feel like entertaining any of their friends. That combined with you being here alone, I just don’t want to be away from you right now.”I didn’t voice it but it sounded like he thought that maybe

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was fairly uneventful. Mr. Evans took us outside again during his class for walking around the track. I managed in cowboy boots but wasn’t walking to break any time records, either. A nice leisurely stroll, just for my mental health and well-being more than for burning calories and cardio. Fresh air, sunshine and a renewed sense of belonging. We had lunch together with the regular group and everyone was having a good day and in high spirits.During P.E. class, I asked Coach Lawrence if I could work in the front office since I wanted to check in and see if Phil had followed my suggestions where Sherry was concerned. He didn’t have a problem with it, especially since he was so engrossed with talking game strategies and play by play with the boys for tomorrow night’s game. It seemed the whole school was focused on nothing but that first football game and the laidback energy surrounding it. In fact, where I was dating Owen, Coach Lawrence didn’

Owen POVI felt the shift in my Gracie the moment we finished with dinner. I wanted to hug her, to hold her and tell her everything would be okay but I didn’t know how to make it better this time. Besides, her whole demeanor had changed by the time she stepped back out of that house.Again, I wanted to ask her what had happened, what was said but I didn’t want to push. I wanted to let her know I was there for her but give her the space she might need at the same time. After last night, I already felt like I knew too much of something I wasn't supposed to know about. The whole situation left me feeling helpless and I hated that feeling. I was a problem solver. I wanted to just fix this for her but I couldn’t. This was something out of reach, something that money or connections just could not make better and those were really the only things I had going for me that I knew would work most of the time.I had been holding a lot of stuff in, not wanting to bother her with any of my problems

Owen POVI dialed her number over and over again to no avail. No ring, no voicemail. Just that generic message, “I’m sorry. The person you are calling is unavailable. Goodbye.” I sent a text asking her to let me explain but it has went undelivered. Both of these could only mean one thing, she has me blocked.I don’t even know how I ended up on the ground, laying on the carpet at the foot of my bed. Tears are blurring my vision but I haven't the slightest clue when they started. My heart physically aches, I can't breathe and all feels dark and cold. I feel as if the life has been sucked out of me and I am numb to everything except the pain of losing her.My phone pings and my heart skips a beat, hoping it is her but as I glance down, I see Chloe’s name appear. I back out of her name to see what Chloe has sent. There are several messages.First: ‘You think you can threaten me. We’ll see about that!” Second: ‘Hahahahahaha! In such a hurry to get out of here that you leave your phone!! Y