CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Abram
I let out a sigh of relief when I catch sight of Brenda on the patio, quietly nursing a glass of champagne. I walk up to her in hurried steps.
“Hey, Brenda,” I greet. “Have you seen Melody?”
“Where on earth have you been all day,” Brenda asks, turning toward me.
“I had to take care of some other business,” I say quickly. “Where’s Melody? I’ve looked everywhere for her.”
“She’s gone,” Brenda says, turning away with a sigh.
“What do you mean she’s gone?” I ask incredulously.
“She’s gone,” Brenda repeats with a shrug. “Back to Hudson.”
I scoff lightly. Brenda isn’t making any sense to me.
“What are you saying? Why would she go back to Hudson?”
“I don’t know the details, but something seemed strange,” Brenda says, turning toward me again, her lower lip pulled between her teeth, a gesture of pensive worry.
“Please, talk to me,” I say urgently, my chest tightening up with anxiety. “What the hell is going on?”
“She told me she was going to the restroom. I realized it was taking too long, and I decided to check on her. Then, I found her in the hall gasping for breath. I think it was a panic attack, but it was so intense that I freaked out. I tried to make her go to a hospital when she came to, but she insisted on returning to Hudson. I had no choice but to let her go.”
“Which door did she take from the exhibition hall?” I ask slowly. “The left or the right?”
Brenda seems to think about my question for a moment.
“She definitely went in through the left door. I remember asking a waitress for directions to the bathroom, and she pointed me to the right door. When I went looking for Melody I found her gasping for breath by the door. She looked really pale and awful. I would have gone with her, but she said she’d feel bad if I couldn’t enjoy the exhibition on her account. I just thought she needed some time alone.”
“She heard…,” I murmur to myself, my chest tightening painfully with a gradually mounting dread.
It was the only reason that made sense.
“What’s wrong, Abram?” Brenda asks, searching my face. “You look pale. What on earth is going on with you both?”
“I need to go,” I say quietly, already sprinting for the door.