Chapter 108

Their people had been waiting at the dock. The danger had passed. Megan looked up at him, her gaze warm and devoted, as if he were her entire world. Sitting in the car now, Howard couldn't quite breathe. He rolled down the window for air, but the suffocating weight didn't lift. It felt as though an invisible hand was tightening around his heart. Just then, music spilled from the stereo of the car waiting beside him at the red light. He suddenly remembered the pier that night, the sea rippling in the snow, cold yet beautiful. Megan had clutched his hand so tightly. He was thinking about her again. "Howard, everyone online says this pendant you bought me looks beautiful," Alyssa said softly. Howard pulled himself out of the memory and glanced at the ruby resting against her neck. "It suits you," he said. "I knew it," she murmured, her smile widening. Howard looked down and pressed his lips together. Alyssa had less than half a year left. He reminded himself again that it was h