Effie finally remembered why that phone number looked so familiar. It was almost identical to Mitchell''s old number, except for thest two digits.


    Was Mitchell some kind of creep? He knew she''d blocked him, so he got a new number just to keep bothering her—and even picked one that was nearly the same. Was he hoping she''d notice, or was he just desperate for attention?


    Disgust twisted her stomach. Same ce as always? Was he out of his mind?


    The message left her nauseous. She''d been enjoying her meal, but just reading those words made her lose her appetite.


    Lyman noticed the shift in her mood right away. He gently ced a hand on her shoulder and asked softly, "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s nothing," Effie replied.


    She''d nned to just block Mitchell''s new number and be done with it.


    But then she remembered something her grandmother had said. After a moment''s thought, she handed her phone to Lyman and said, "I wasn''t nning to hide it. Honestly, it''s just a trivial annoyance to me, but I can''t believe someone could be this gross."


    When Lyman realized what was going on, his eyes darkened, and a dangerous glint shed across his face.


    He clenched his fists, jaw tight. "If he wants to meet, then let''s meet."


    Effie stared at him in surprise, taken aback by his calmness. Was he really that easygoing about it, or was he already nning something behind the scenes? Almost as if he could read her mind, Lyman reached out his hand, silently asking for her phone.


    Puzzled but trusting, Effie handed it over.


    Lyman typed a single word in reply: "Okay."


    After dinner, Lyman turned to Effie''s grandmother. "We''re going out for a bit. Thought we''d spend some time together," he said, encouraging her to rest at home.


    Her grandmother smiled, clearly pleased to see their rtionship growing.


    On the way out, Lyman asked, "So where exactly is this ''same ce''?"


    Effie''s face tightened. "I think... it''s the amusement park where I first met him. We met in the haunted house."


    Back then Effie had been fearless. While


    she


    eryone else screamed, s walked through the whole thing t


    with


    a calm, expressionless face.


    That was what drew Mitchell to her in the first ce.


    After they started dating, it became a tradition-they''d return to that amusement park every year.


    But she''d heard the ce was about to be shut down. Business had dried up, and the owner couldn''t keep it running anymore.


    Yet when Effie arrived, she was surprised to find the amusement park still standing. The rides had been upgraded, and everything looked newer, brighter.


    A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.


    This ce wasn''t in the city center


    Visitor numbers had dropped ofe


    long ago. The previous owner had been looking to sell, desperate to cut his losses.


    Who would be crazy enough to buy this ce and invest in renovations? Didn''t they care about making money?


    As they parked and started walking toward the gates, a staff member hurried over, eyes wide in shock at the sight of Lyman.


    "Sir-you''re the owner?"


    Lyman nodded slightly.


    Effie''s jaw dropped as she turned to him. So Lyman was the one who''d bought the park?


    "Why would you buy this ce?" she blurted out.


    After breaking up with Mitchell, she''d stopped paying attention to anything connected to him.


    Lyman squeezed her hand, his gaze gentle. "This amusement park means something special to me."