Chapter 110 Detour
Hannah
The moment the gates close behind us, I feel it.
That invisible pressure sitting on my chest all evening finally loosens.
I don’t even realize how tightly I’d been holding myself together until now.
My shoulders drop slightly.
My breath comes easier.
And I sink back into the seat like I’ve just escaped something.
I glance out the window.
The estate is already fading behind us, swallowed by distance and darkness, and with every passing second, it feels less real.
Like it didn’t just happen.
Like I didn’t just sit there and…
I exhale slowly.
No.
It happened.
Every bit of it.
Yvonne’s voice echoes faintly in my mind.
Loretta would have been perfect.
My stomach twists.
I press my lips together and stare out the window, watching the blur of streetlights pass by.
The quiet inside the car feels heavy.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… weighted.
My thoughts drift.
Of course they do.
Back to Loretta.
I wonder what she’s doing.
Where she is.
If she’s happy.
If she even thinks about any of this anymore.
If she thinks about me.
A bitter little laugh forms in my chest, but I swallow it down.
She probably doesn’t.
Why would she?
She got out.
I stayed.
My fingers curl slightly in my lap.
Then, like it always does, my mind shifts again.
To my parents.
I haven’t spoken to them.
Not since everything happened.
Not since…
I swallow hard.
Loretta’s exile.
That’s what it felt like.
Like I’d been quietly removed from their lives and replaced with silence.
And yet…
Despite everything.
Despite how they treated me.
Despite how easily they let me go.
I still miss them.
The realization stings more than I expect.
I press my head back against the seat and close my eyes briefly.
Why am I like this?
Why do I still…
I shake my head slightly, like I can physically dislodge the thoughts.
No.
Not tonight.
I’m not doing this tonight.
I open my eyes again.
And glance sideways.
Timothy is staring out his own window.
Brows slightly furrowed.
Jaw tight.
Lost. Completely lost in whatever’s running through his mind.
He hasn’t said a word since we got in the car.
Neither have I.
And the silence, It’s starting to feel… too much.
Too thick. Too heavy.
I study him for a moment.
Really look at him.
And for some reason, the sight of him like this: so quiet and distant. Carrying something he’s not saying…
It makes something in me shift.
I nudge him lightly.
“Hey.”
He blinks.
Like he’s been pulled out of somewhere far away.
Turns to look at me.
“Hm?”
I tilt my head slightly.
“Are you hungry?”
There’s a brief pause.
Then he frowns faintly, like the question didn’t fully register.
“What?”
“I said, are you hungry?”
I gesture vaguely.
“Because I am.”
His expression clears slightly.
“Oh.”
I shrug.
“I didn’t really eat back there.”
That’s putting it lightly.
“I lost my appetite,” I add.
His gaze lingers on me for a second.
Like he knows exactly why.
But he doesn’t say it.
Instead, he nods.
“Alright.”
He shifts slightly in his seat.
“We can have Lisa prepare something when we get back.”
He reaches for his phone.
Already moving to call.
I watch him for a second.
Then…“No.”
He pauses, glancing at me.
“No?”
I shake my head, sitting up a little.
“I don’t want to go back and eat.”
He studies me now.
Curious.
“What do you want, then?”
A small smile tugs at my lips.
“I know a place.”
His brow lifts slightly.
“A place?”
“Yeah,” I say, a bit more animated now. “There’s this food truck; burgers, tacos, the likes, the best you’ll ever have.”
He looks… skeptical.
Understandably.
“It’s about thirty minutes away,” I add.
His gaze sharpens slightly.
“Thirty?”
“Don’t complain,” I say quickly. “It’s worth it. I promise.”
He leans back slightly, still watching me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
Then, because I can’t help it, I add, “You’ll love it. The food there is…”
I pause.Searching for the right word.
“Insanely good.”
His lips twitch.
“That wasn’t the word you were about to use.”
I grin slightly.
“I was about to say it tastes like orgasm but don’t worry about it.”
He huffs a quiet laugh.
And just like that…
Some of the heaviness in the car lifts.
Not completely. But enough.
“Alright,” he says finally. “Let’s see if it lives up to the hype.”
I beam a little.
“It will.”
He leans forward, tapping the divider lightly to get the driver’s attention.
“Change of plans,” he says. “I’ll give you directions. We’re making a detour.”