chapter 50(1)

Valen Zoe has come to drop Valarian off at the hospital and I smile when I see her car pull into the parking lot. While she parks the car, I make my way over to her before opening the back door. Quickly unclipping his seatbelt, he hops out of the car excitedly, wanting to see his sisters; he brought the plushies he helped pick out with him. I glance in the car and notice Taylor and Casey are both in their car seats too, which is a little odd; it’s pretty late at night. “Where are Marcus and Macey? Also, have you heard from my father?” I ask Zoe, who chews her lip nervously. She glances in the back at the girls before climbing out of the car and ushering me to the rear of the vehicle. Valarian climbs up onto the hood of the car and waits for me while clutching the blue and green plushies; Zoe glances at him as if to make sure he’s out of earshot. “John returned home with Ava,” Zoe whispers, and I blink at her, dumbfounded because nobody told me Ava was found or handed back. Why had no o