Chapter 12

Samuel's barely rekindled hope was extinguished once more. He wiped his eyes and stared hard at the few words on the screen. He kept reading the text over and over again until he was sure he hadn't seen it wrong. His heart clenched, and a wave of guilt surged through him. It was him. He was the one who had driven Annabelle away. It was because of him that she had rushed off to Elsington that night. She had known about the child all along, yet she never confronted him. She had kept it all to herself. Only now did Samuel realize that all the subtle questions she had asked him were her giving him chances. If it hadn't been for him, she never would have boarded that doomed plane. "Belle, this is all my fault..." The pain in his chest was unbearable. Tears streamed down his face as he broke down completely. Only now did he realize it wasn't just guilt he felt for her, but a love so overwhelming that it threatened to swallow him whole. He flung the phone aside and let out a broken c