Chapter 3 - THE WALK TO THE IVY-COVERED HOUSE
Adrian stood up slowly, his tall frame towering over the small girl, though he felt completely hollowed out from within. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. The photograph remained clutched tightly in his right fist, the paper crumpling slightly under the pressure of his grip.
Emma didn't wait for his permission. She turned on her heel and began walking down the winding cobblestone lane, her sapphire-blue dress catching the morning light as she moved with light, energetic steps.
"Where are you going?" Adrian called out, his long stride easily keeping pace beside her.
"Home," Emma replied casually, without looking up. She reached up and grabbed one of his large, tattooed fingers with her small hand, tugging him forward with unbothered familiarity. "Come on, Grumpy."
The touch of her tiny hand against his skin sent a jolt straight to Adrian's chest. He hadn't touched anyone with warmth since the night Claire’s car was pulled from the ocean depths seven years prior—a recovery operation where the body had been so badly damaged by the rocks that identification had rested entirely on dental records and her personal effects.
Emma led him off the main thoroughfare, down a quiet, shaded residential lane lined with ancient oak trees. She stopped in front of a picturesque two-story house. The building was wrapped in lush green ivy, featuring distinct sky-blue shutters framing immaculate glass windows, and a cobblestone pathway leading to a heavy oak front door.
Adrian recognized the house instantly.
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It was the old Miller cottage—a property that had sat vacant for years, sitting at the edge of Bellhaven’s private residential sector.
Adrian looked from the blue shutters to the photograph crumpled in his hand, his face pale, his entire reality shifting beneath his feet.
