Chapter <b>544 </b>
“I think I heard you wrong,” I mumbled, unintelligently.
My voicees out faint and brittle, like my voice has forgotten how to form words. There must be some mistake–I must have misheard.
She sighs tiredly. “You didn’t.”
The silence that stretches between us is deafening. My heart is racing, my hands trembling. All the
warmth that surrounded me moments ago has vanished, reced by a cold that creeps into my bones.
“Noah?” I repeat numbly. “You want me to find Noah?”
She sighs, exhausted. “Yes.”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat.
“Aunt Ava, I’m thest person on this you should be asking,” I murmur, still confused about why
she would be asking me to look for Noah.
I take a deep breath to try and calm myself down. What she just asked me is beyond what I can do. I know
I said I would do anything for her, except this. Noah is one person I didn’t want to get involved with.
“Please, Sierra. You uncle and I can’t find him<i>,</i><i>” </i>she pleads, her voice on the verge of breaking down. It’s
been years, but to her, Noah is still her little boy. The boy that went toe–to–toe with her family for
wronging her.
“Aunt…” I pause, not really finding the words to continue. “And what do you mean, you can’t find him?”
I shouldn’t have asked, but curiosity just got the better of me.
“You know what day today is, right?” she asked.
I’m confused, thinking today is Tuesday. Nothing special about it. That is until I remember the exact date.
I blink, then nce at the calendar, March 15.
Oh
My chest tightens.
I hadpletely forgotten. Or maybe I just didn’t want to remember.
“Yes,” I reply softly.
“He left the twins with us and said he’d be back. That was hours ago,” she continues, her voice cracking.” We’ve called him. Over and over. He won’t answer. And today’s… today’s hard for him, especially with the twins having turned Five. I’m worried, Si”
My heart aches at the pain in her voice, but I just can’t. Noah is where I draw the line. I swore to myself to never cross paths with him since he got married.
What was the need to be around him when he clearly hated me? I needed to do what’s best for me and
protect my heart.
“Aunt Ava, have you tried Gunner?” I ask her, my voice trembling. “He is his best friend; he’s bound to
know something.”
“He doesn’t. All the locations he sent us turned out to be dead ends.” She answers. “He is also overseas, so
there is not much he could do.”
“What about Lilly? She’s knows him just as well,” I offer weakly.
I was grasping at straws. Anything that would save me from having to do this favor for her. I do love her truly, but Noah is a no–go zone.
“Her phone is turned off. No one can reach her.”
Damn it! We talked before I went to sleep. She told me she was going on a date. If she switched off her
phone, then it means the date was going pretty well.
“Please, Si. I’m afraid he’ll do something stupid in his state.<i>” </i>she cries, and my heart melts. “You are the
only one I know who knows him best.”
I want to tell her no. I need to. I promised myself that I would never let myself be tangled up in Noah Woods‘ world again. Not after he shattered mine.
I tried toe up with excuses I could give her, but my mind was nk. Noah and I are a vtile mix,
and I doubt he would want to see me, especially today.
“I know it’s a pretty big ask, but I am really worried about him.” the worry, sadness and heartbreak in her
voice are my undoing. It breaks all of my defenses.
“I don’t know what I’ll say if I do find him. It’s been years,” I murmur. “I don’t even know if he’ll talk to me.”
“Just try. Please.”
I close my eyes. My chest aches with a thousand things left unsaid. But I can’t say no to her. I never could.
“Okay,” I whisper, defeated. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Sierra. Thank you so much.”
It’s hard not to miss the relief in her voice and that makes it worth it even though I have this nagging feeling that this isn’t going to end well for me.