Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

RYAN I didn't have anything on my schedule-nothing to mark on the calendar, nothing to fill the endless hours that had stretched out ever since the boys went missing. It was as if thad stopped for me, frozen in that unbearable moment when I realized they were gone. Lying on the bed with Lily's head resting on my thighs, I absentmindedly traced my finger along her jawline, the soft, almost rhythmic movement a futile attempt to distract myself from the growing void inside me.

We hadn't been talking much lately. What was there to say? The silence between us had becan unspoken language of its own. There were no words that could make things better. No words that could bring the boys back. So, we just existed in this strange, unspoken understanding, where we didn't need to say much. We stayed close, and that was enough. We were here for each other, in our own quiet way, and sometimes, that was all we had.

I watched her, my gaze lingering on her as she stared off into the distance, lost in thought. Following her gaze, I noticed she was looking at the photos of the boys on the dresser-frozen images of smiles and laughter from a twhen everything felt normal. I hated that she was hurting, hated seeing her so distant. She didn't deserve this. None of us did. I didn't deserve this. The boys didn't deserve this.

"They're going to be found," I whispered, the words slipping from my mouth without much thought. I leaned down and kissed her cheek, the action instinctual, like I was trying to give her scomfort I didn't have the words for. "They will be brought back hto us." She exhaled a heavy breath, her eyes shifting away from the pictures. She met my gaze, her hand reaching for mine. She intertwined our fingers, squeezing them tightly, as if she was trying to share her strength with me. "I'm certain," she murmured. "They don't have any other choice than to chto me." A sad, resigned smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I'm going to lose my mind if they don't, and I'm sure Liam doesn't wantto." Her words struck deep, a harsh reminder of just how fragile she was in this moment. Her sadness was so raw, so real, and I wanted nothing more than to fix it. But I couldn't. All I could do was hold her, be here with her, even if the silence between us felt suffocating. She turned towardthen, her face nuzzling into my stomach, her breath warm against my skin.

"What about the investigation into your father's death?" she asked. "Have they found anything tangible that might help?" I hated thinking about it, hated that it was another reminder of everything we were losing. The case was still open, but there hadn't been any progress. Nothing had changed since the day my father died. "No new information," I muttered, the words bitter on my tongue. "But I'm sure they'll find something soon." I'm certain this case won't close until they find the truth behind his murder.

Her voice grew distant, almost like she was talking to herself as much as to me. "Why does it seem like nothing is working in our favor?" she asked, her eyes clouded with frustration. "One moment we were happy, and the next month, we're left worrying about whether our boys are even safe." Before I could respond, my phone rang, breaking the moment between us. I hesitated, contemplating letting it go to voicemail, but then I saw Angelo's nflash across the screen. It had to be important. I leaned down and kissed Lily's forehead, apologizing with my eyes more than my words. "I'm sorry, I have to take this." She gavea small, forced smile, her eyes still filled with that deep, unfathomable sadness. It wasn't abouttaking the call. It was about everything else. The situation we found ourselves in. "It's fine," she whispered.

I swiped the call to answer and held the phone to my ear. "Angelo?" "I found Maya and her mother's residence," he said. "I've installed the bugs like you wanted." He paused for a moment, waiting for my acknowledgment, but when I didn't immediately respond, he continued. "Do you needto do anything else?" "Do you have someone listening to the bugs?" I asked, glancing at Lily, who had lifted her head to look at me. I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Yes," Angelo replied. "I've got someone stationed to monitor it at all times." "That's perfect," I said. "I'll send you a picture of Clover. Take it around the neighborhood where Maya lives. See if anyone has seen him, especially around her house or its perimeter." "Got it," Angelo replied. "Anything else?" "Also, find out who's paying the rent for that house," I added. "I want to know who's behind all of this." "I'll get on it, boss." After hanging up, I set the phone down and turned my attention back to Lily. She was watching me, waiting for an explanation.

"Are you having Maya and Clover checked out?" she asked.

I nodded, leaning back against the bed and resting my hands behind my head. have a feeling she knows m something about what happened to our boys, and I think she's working with Clover. But I need to be sure. I'll check it out."

Lily nodded, her gaze shifting to the ceiling, her thoughts seemingly far away. "I'm having a woman checked out too," she said after a moment. "I think she might know something." I frowned, the shift in her tone makinguneasy. "What woman?" Shrugging, she turned her gaze back to me, her expression unreadable.

uj

"Don't worry about it. Focus on Maya and Clover. While I focus on herm Either way we're going to find our boys. Nothing is going to stop us."