Chapter 23

NOAH “I’m sorry,” my voice came out hoarse as I released her hand. Minutes passed, but we both remained silent. I stayed leaning against the wall until Olivia left. I was still processing everything Olivia had shared. I couldn’t recall anything about Nicole Evans. Her words didn’t register, because, like she said, many girls from our school had sent me love letters and gifts. What she did wasn’t new to me. My emotions were being tugged by something I couldn’t control. I wasn’t sure if it was Olivia’s tearful gaze, which held a trace of self-mocking sorrow, or something else entirely. I had always felt Olivia was familiar, but not in the way I’d expected. She reminded me so much of Emma Cooper—her hazel eyes, the scent she carried, the little mannerisms. Even when she asked the waiter to remove the shrimp from our order at Millie’s diner, it struck me. She’d explained it away by saying she wasn’t a fan of shrimp, but the coincidence was too much to ignore. Maybe I was just unwilling to