Chapter 5 - "AFTER SEVEN MONTHS OF SEARCHING, HE FOUND HER IN A COASTAL RAIN STORM"
A brutal Pacific storm was battered the wooden piers of Newport. Waves crashed violently against the sea wall, driving thick fog and icy rain through the streets.
Inside The Salt & Quill, the air was warm, smelling of old paper, roasted coffee, and cinnamon. Amy stood near the front window, placing a stack of children's books onto a display shelf. She was eight months pregnant now, her bump prominent beneath a cozy cream-colored knit sweater. Her face possessed a quiet, radiant strength that had been missing during her years in New York.
The brass bell above the heavy oak door chimed softly.
"We’re closed for the storm, sweetie," Amy called out without turning around, adjusting a book cover. "Sarah’s just locking up the back—"
"Amy."
The sound of his voice froze the blood in her veins.
It was a voice she had heard in her dreams, in her nightmares, and in every quiet moment of her past seven years. Slowly, Amy turned around.
Daniel stood near the entrance. His bespoke wool coat was soaked through with rainwater. His hair was messy, his face pale, his eyes rimmed with red. He looked stripped of all his corporate armor, standing there like a man who had walked through hell just to reach this doorway.
His eyes dropped immediately to her belly. A gasp caught in his throat, and he took a shaky, hesitating step forward.
"Amy... my God, Amy."
Amy didn't scream. She didn't throw anything. She simply stood her ground behind the oak counter, her posture straight, her expression completely unreadable.
"How did you find me, Daniel?" she asked, her voice as calm and cool as the Pacific rain outside.
May you like
"It doesn't matter," he choked out, taking another step. "I’ve been looking for you every second of every day. I haven't slept. I haven't lived. Amy, please... I read the journal. I saw the ultrasound. I know what I did."
"Do you?" Amy asked softly, leaning slightly against the counter. "Because if you think this is just about Vanessa Cole, you still understand nothing."
