Behind the Mask: Sterling Quinn FBI Series Book 1 by A.W. KAYLEN

Author:A.W. KAYLEN [KAYLEN, A.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

perfect timing

Ellen sits outside on the balcony. Her eyes gleam with unshed tears, and when the wind picks up around her, they start to burn. She has no thoughts for a while. Her mind has stayed blank ever since hearing the news of Olivia’s death. She goes on and off as if morphing from one world to another. As she sits and lets the wind caress her skin, she wonders what Olivia’s last moments were like. To think her daughter was still alive during the time she was drowned…

She wipes the falling tears with the back of her hand, sniffing at intervals. So far, she has refused to see anybody. She does not need the sympathy of others. She would prefer to be left alone. It is what she wants. Nobody can possibly understand the growing emptiness in her heart. Olivia was a bright girl with a bright future. To die like that…No.

She shakes her head, fighting off the images in her head. Ever since the news broke, she has been having nightmares, each of them more horrible than the last, stealing her sleep and her joy. She wakes screaming, feeling as if she’s choking, clutching at the sheets and clawing at the darkness as she relives what she’s sure Olivia’s last moments were like. The worst part about these nightmares is that even when she comes fully awake, her daughter is dead, and her heart is broken. It’s a living nightmare. There is no escape, either in sleep or waking.

Olivia still had a chance at life after the accident. It was what the pathologist told Agent Quinn. The autopsy findings have only made the situation worse, for Ellen and for George. She hopes that her baby was unconscious as the water closed in on her. Ellen’s hands form fists by her sides. She wants to find the people responsible. Whoever they are, wherever they’re hiding, she feels like she could travel to the ends of the earth and hurt them, just like they hurt her daughter.

Overwhelmed by the weight of her emotions, she sighs and bursts into tears.

“Ellen?” George calls behind her.

She instantly stops her tears and swipes at her eyes with the hem of her blouse. George is human too. He is grieving just as much as she is. She does not want to lay her burdens on him, especially when she knows the anger he is feeling. It is palpable. She can feel it whenever he walks into a room. Already, he is doing so much trying to make her feel better. She admits that she feels selfish. She should be helping her husband overcome his grief as well. But what can she do? She never expected to receive a call informing her of her daughter’s death. Olivia was so young. She had her whole life ahead of her. Now, Ellen and George are left to pick up the pieces, and Ellen doesn’t know how to deal with his anger. She has never seen him like this.

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