Chapter 17

Ewan returned to Berning, but he couldn't stop himself from keeping tabs on Nova. Every photo the private investigator sent him had Flynn in it. His eyes lost their sparkle, and he was barely recognizable from the man he used to be. Ever since he found out Nova was with Flynn, it was like something inside him had died. The confidence he once had was gone, and he spent each day going through the motions like a machine. He ate three meals a day on schedule, but never once smiled. He stubbornly restored Nova's room to the way it had been before she left, as if pretending she still lived there could numb the pain. Bit by bit, his grip on reality began to slip. He started sleeping in her room every night, whispering her name under his breath. He called her number over and over, even though they sent him straight to voicemail. Still, he never stopped dialing. On the days he missed her the most, he would use a new number just to hear her voice answer once. When she ended the call withou