Chapter 57

Chapter 57
FINN

Elena falls asleep before any of us do. She always says she isn't tired. Then she curls up beneath the blankets, rests one hand over her stomach, and is asleep within five minutes.

Tonight is no different.

Theo brushes a strand of hair away from her face before pressing a soft kiss against her forehead.

Caleb watches from the other side of the bed.

I can't help smiling.

A year ago, if someone had told me we'd all end up sharing a bed, waiting for the same woman to fall asleep, I would've laughed in their face.

Now...

I can't imagine my life any other way.

My gaze drifts to Elena's stomach. The baby hasn't even been born yet, and somehow they've already managed to wrap us around one tiny finger.

People would probably ask whose child it is.

The truth? None of us knows. And none of us cares.

Blood has never been what makes a family.

Love does.

I'd fight anyone who tried to tell me otherwise.

I quietly slip out of bed, careful not to wake Elena.

Theo follows a moment later.

Caleb lingers behind for another few seconds, staring at her sleeping face. There's something heartbreaking about the way he looks at her. As if every peaceful moment still surprises him.

Then he leaves the room without saying a word.

The house feels different at night.

The laughter from earlier has disappeared.

Only the ticking clock in the living room breaks the silence.

Theo walks into the kitchen and starts making coffee.

At nearly eleven o'clock.

Psychopath.

"You know that stuff keeps people awake?"

He shrugs.

"I'm already awake."

Fair point.

Caleb stands near the window, arms folded across his chest.

He's been doing that a lot lately.

Staring outside like the darkness might finally give him the answers he's looking for. None of us says anything for a while. We don't need to.

Ever since Theo came back from seeing Eric... Silence has become a fourth roommate.

Theo sets three mugs on the table.

Caleb doesn't touch his.

I take mine.

"If this tastes like burnt socks again," I warn him, "I'm filing an official complaint."

Theo doesn't even smile.

Yeah.

Definitely serious.

He sits opposite us and folds his hands together.

"We need to talk."

Caleb lets out a slow breath. "I figured."

"It's about the photograph."

Of course it is.

I lean back in my chair.

"The one Elena found?"

Theo nods.

"I can't stop thinking about it."

Neither can I.

Margaret.

Caleb's mother.

Standing behind James and Moira.

Watching them.

Watching Moira.

At first, I thought it was just another old picture.

Now...

I'm not so sure.

"I keep replaying what Eric said," Theo continues.

"He admitted killing James." Caleb's jaw tightens.

"But he never mentioned Moira."

"No," I say quietly. "He didn't."

Theo nods. "Which means we're still missing something."

The room falls silent again.

I hate silence.

It gives my brain too much room to think.

Unfortunately...

My brain has been doing exactly that all evening.

I look at Caleb.

"Can I ask you something?"

He shrugs. "You just did."

"I mean a real question."

His eyes meet mine. "Go ahead."

I take a slow breath. "Your mom..."

Immediately, his posture changes. "What about her?"

"She was supposed to meet you that night."

"Yes."

"But she never showed."

"So?"

I glance briefly at Theo before looking back at Caleb.

"The same night Eric kidnapped Elena."

Nothing.

No reaction.

So I continue.

"Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

Caleb's expression hardens.

"No."

"No?"

"No." His answer comes too quickly. Too firmly.

I lean forward. "Come on."

"Finn."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

I set my mug down. "I'm not accusing her of anything."

"It sounds like you are."

"No."

I shake my head. "I'm saying the timing is suspicious."

Theo remains silent.

Watching us.

Listening.

"Theo?" Caleb says.

Theo sighs. "I think Finn has a point."

Caleb turns sharply toward him. "You too?"

"I'm not saying Margaret had anything to do with Elena's kidnapping."

"Then what are you saying?"

Theo chooses his words carefully. "I'm saying we don't know why she never met Eric."

Caleb laughs once. A short, bitter sound. "Maybe she changed her mind."

"Maybe," Theo agrees.

"Or maybe something stopped her."

"There are a thousand possible explanations."

"Exactly."

I spread my hands. "So why has nobody ever tried to find out?"

Caleb's eyes flash. "My mother disappeared years ago."

"I know."

"We searched."

"I know."

"We found nothing."

"I know."

His voice grows louder.

"So what exactly are you suggesting?"

I hesitate.

Because now that I'm here...

I'm not entirely sure I want to say it out loud.

Still... The question has been circling my head ever since Elena found that photograph. "What if..." I stop.

Caleb's stare never leaves mine.

"What if she knew something?"

The room goes completely still.

"I didn't say she helped Eric." I hold his gaze. "I'm asking whether she knew something she never told anyone."

Caleb pushes himself to his feet so suddenly his chair scrapes loudly across the wooden floor. "No."

"Caleb—"

"No." His breathing becomes uneven. "You don't know her."

"No," I admit. "I don't."

"So don't stand there pretending you do."

"I'm trying to understand."

"There is nothing to understand." His fists clench at his sides. "My mother would never hurt anyone."

"I never said she would."

"You didn't have to."

Theo stands. "Caleb."

He doesn't answer.

Instead, he walks toward the fireplace. His shoulders rise and fall with every breath.

I almost tell him to forget it.

Almost.

But I can't.

Because if I stop asking... Who will? "Then answer me one thing." He doesn't turn around. "If she wasn't involved..." I choose my next words carefully. "...where is she?"

Silence.

Long.

Heavy.

Painful.

Finally, Caleb speaks. "I don't know."

Three words.

Barely louder than a whisper. And somehow... They're the saddest words I've ever heard him say.

Theo walks over and places a hand on his shoulder.

Caleb shrugs it off.

Not angrily.

Just... Tiredly.

"I'm done with this conversation."

He heads toward the front door.

"Caleb." Theo's voice stops him for half a second.

Without turning around, Caleb says quietly, "Stop looking for monsters in people who spent their whole lives trying to survive."

Then he opens the door.

A rush of cool night air fills the house.

The door slams behind him. Neither Theo nor I move.

The silence he leaves behind somehow feels even heavier than before.

I rub a hand across my face. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Theo doesn't answer immediately.

Instead, he walks over to the coffee table. The photograph Elena found is still lying there. He picks it up and studies Margaret's face for a long moment.

When he finally speaks, his voice is barely audible.

"I hope you are."

I look at the picture again.

At James.

Moira.

Arthur

Margaret.

Four smiling faces frozen in time.

Four people connected by something none of us understands.

And for the first time...

I wonder if the truth we're searching for is one we're going to wish we'd never found.