Chapter 12  After Derek took off, Chase found himself standing alone by the chilly, deserted riverbank, eyes glued to his phone. The screen flickered on and off, messages pouring in, but not a single one was from me. He probably drifted back to the times when I first noticed his shifting demeanor towards Nicole, which often ruffled my feathers.  But after the storm of anger passed, I’d feel silly for overreacting. I mean, Nicole was his stepsister, and there wasn’t anything wrong. with him being extra nice to her. I got into the habit of convincing myself otherwise, constantly second–guessing my own feelings. I told myself not to let something so small upset the peace between our families. Once I wrapped my head around it, I’d make peace. It had been a full day since I last texted him. And on this day, I seemed to have vanished into thin air.  Chase tossed a pebble into the water, his voice tinged with irritation as he muttered, “Go ahead. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”  stood next to him, a wry smile playing on my lips. Even during our worst fights, I never stayed away for more than three days. He  sumed he had me all figured out, thinking I wouldn’t cause any real trouble.  I quietly watched his handsome face, now clouded with anger. I recalled that summer camp when I was twelve, stuck on a mountain because of a torrential storm. He risked landslides to climb back up and find me. Tears streamed down my face as I ran into his arms, questioning his recklessness. What if something happened to him too?  Covered in mud, he still managed a bright smile. He said just the thought of me alone, scared and upset, made him wish he could fly to me. Back then, I was too young to grasp the concept of love. I only knew his embrace was warm and wished he could protect me forever.  Now, despite him being at fault, he showed no remorse and thought I was being dramatic. Once someone’s feelings towards you change, even breathing in their presence feels like a mistake.  On the fourth day after my disappearance, Chase finally started to panic. He opened our chat, still on his last voice message. My phone remained off.  “Mr. Reyes, here’s your coffee,” his assistant said, handing him a cup to perk him up. Chase realized he’d been staring at his phone for half an hour. Four days in, even my tantrums would’ve simmered down by now.  Chase got up, grabbed his coat, and made a beeline for the door.  “Mr. Reyes, you’ve got an important meeting coming up.”  “Postpone it,” he said, not even glancing back as he drove into the city to find Kimberly.  “Ms. Kimberly, someone’s here to see you,” announced the receptionist as I rushed out to meet her. Kimberly was my high school buddy. Her parents forced her to switch majors and become a teacher, and now she taught at a middle school.  She knew what I was going through, so she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Chase. “What are you doing here?”  “Amanda’s with you, right? Tell her if she keeps this up, it’s going to look bad for everyone…”  Kimberly cut him off sharply, “Are you serious, Chase? You’re the one who left her stranded at the wedding. What’s she supposed to be upset about? All those guests were mocking her, and she went to apologize to each of them. Who’s the person embarrassing everyone here?”  Her words hit Chase hard, his face paling slightly. “I don’t owe you an explanation. Just call her and tell her to come home!”  That was when Kimberly realized I hadn’t been home for a few days. She stopped berating Chase, “Amanda isn’t home?”  you after we fight?” “What’s with the act? You’re her best friend. Isn’t she always with  Indeed, Kimberly was my rock, the one person I could confide in. So Chase hadn’t come looking for me and assumed I was with Kimberly.  Kimberly’s expression shifted. “Get lost. My grandma was critically ill, and I went back to my hometown right after the wedding. I just. returned to work today. What happened to Amanda? Did you piss her off again?”