Chapter 1388
Adah opened her mouth to banish him again, but the plane had already started climbing. She snapped her jaw shut and said nothing.
The plane lifted off from the Evans estate, destination Cadena.
Before long, Allan slipped into a deep, heavy sleep.
Adah’s flight, however, turned into a quiet war. As Allan slept, gravity—or maybe something less innocent—kept pulling him toward her until his head dropped onto her shoulder. She’d shove him off. Minutes later, he’d drift back.
The cycle repeated itself for the entire flight. Lean. Push. Lean again. A wordless, ridiculous battle that lasted from takeoff to landing.
By the time the plane touched down in Cadena, Adah had reached her limit. She shot to her feet and strode toward the exit.
Without her shoulder propping him up, Allan’s head pitched forward and smacked the seatback. The impact jolted him awake. He blinked groggily, just in time to see the hatch swing open and Adah marching out into the daylight.
Behind Adah, Elliana helped Rita and Sophie down the stairs.
Cole hung back. He kicked Allan’s shin without ceremony, voice dripping with disdain. “Alright, drop the act. You’ve been taking advantage of her the whole flight. Getting a little pathetic, wouldn’t you say?”
Then, Cole turned and walked off.
Allan cleared his throat, smoothing wrinkles from his shirt and dragging fingers through his hair before following.
The truth? He’d fallen asleep initially. But he’d surfaced somewhere over the clouds to find his head resting on Adah’s shoulder, and the moment had felt too perfect to surrender. So he’d kept his breathing even, his eyes closed, his body still. Every lean after that? Calculated.
Once they landed, the group secured a car to the suburban villa Rita remembered.
? ? ?: g?ν﹒
Adah wasn’t giving Allan another opportunity. She slid in beside Elliana before he could blink, forcing him into the back with Cole.
As the car rolled forward, Cole kicked Allan. “This is on you.” He kept his voice low and bitter. “Could’ve been sitting next to my wife.”
Allan grinned despite the abuse. “You’ve got two kids already. Still can’t handle ten minutes apart?”
Cole didn’t dignify that with a response.
As the villa drew closer, Adah’s entire body shifted. Her spine went rigid, shoulders locked. Her mind spiraled through a thousand versions of what came next—her mother’s face, her voice, whether her mother would recognize her after all this time, whether she’d collapse or stay standing.
Elliana’s hand found hers and squeezed until it hurt. Anchoring.
Rita and Sophie were already crying, tears carving silent paths down their faces.
When the car stopped and they pushed through the gate, hope died instantly. Weeds choked the courtyard in a dense, strangling mass. Dead leaves buried the ground in layers so thick that they looked like sediment. Years of neglect screamed from every corner. Sally hadn’t set foot here in ages—if ever again.
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