Dirty Little Secrets 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 31 - 챕터 38

KINGSLEY'S POVI drove aimlessly through the dark, eerie streets, driven by a single, burning goal: to find the building - and the person - everyone else was too terrified to face.When I finally arrived at the address I’d been given earlier, I killed the engine. I stepped out slowly, tracking the shadow of the house ahead. The moment I crossed the threshold, the stench hit me - a suffocating mix of stale mold and rot. The place was completely dilapidated, choked with thick cobwebs and looking every bit like a long-abandoned tomb. I clamped a hand over my nose, trying to filter out the foul air.Snapping on my phone's flashlight, I began to scan the darkness for clues.The first room I entered was a graveyard of old paperwork, stacks of documents rotting on the floor. One particular folder caught my eye: a merger file. Half of it had been shredded and chewed through by rats, but Mr. Roberts’ name was still boldly visible on the cover."What the hell?" I thoughtI flipped through the r

CLYDE'S POVSummer had called me to say she'd be at the hospital with Kingsley's mother, which left me exactly where I didn't want to be - alone with my own thoughts for the night."Earth to Clyde!" Gabrielle snapped her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to consciousness. "What are you thinking about, that made you zone out, completely?""Nothing much. Just this and that." I shrugged it off. "You ready?""I was born ready." She grinned, already reaching for her bag. We were headed to a party one of our friends had thrown together; a stand-in welcome party, since the real orientation showcase had been pushed back."Strapless gown or corset gown?" she asked on the walk over, hooking a hand on my shoulder like it meant nothing. It really did not mean nothing. But I went rigid under her palm."Either one. You'd make both look good," I said, and coughed to cover how stiff and awkward that came out.Her house was quiet when we got there.We finally Thankfully, no one was stalking

CLYDE'S POVI got Gabrielle home in one piece, though "in one piece" felt generous. She hadn't said a word the entire drive. She just stared out the window with her arms crossed like she was holding herself together by force."Keys," I said outside her door, holding out my hand.She dug them out of her bag without looking at me and let me unlock it, let me steer her inside with a hand hovering near her back, not quite touching. I got her a glass of water. She didn't drink it. I got her a blanket. She didn't need it, but she pulled it around her shoulders anyway, like the weight of it helped."You don't have to babysit me," she said eventually, curled into the corner of her couch."I'm not babysitting. I'm making sure you're not about to fall apart the second I walk out the door." I sat on the edge of the coffee table across from her. "There's a difference.""I'm fine.""You keep saying that word like it means something." I studied her face - still pale, still tight around the eyes. "Y

SUMMER'S POVThe drive back to George's house was silent the entire way. Felix had stayed behind to take Eleanor home and would meet us later. Nobody spoke. Nobody seemed to know how to. Everyone was lost in their own different worlds.I stared out the window, watching the streetlights blur past, my mind spinning through every version of what might have happened to Clyde. My hands wouldn't stop shaking."It's going to be fine, Summer." Kingsley's hand found mine, steady despite everything simmering between us since the rooftop. "We're going to find him.""How?" My voice cracked, and I hated how small it sounded. "He texted me. He said he was going to some welcome thing with Gabrielle and he'd be back the next day. That's it. That's all I have.""We'll find him," Kingsley said again, his grip tightening around my fingers. "I promise you."I wanted to believe him. I wasn't sure if I could. I fought the tears from falling, because how do you explain this situation.By the time we got to