Chapter 94. An Early Grave

Luke

Carolina had refused to say anything over the phone, so I’d had to drive fifteen minutes to Mall del Río, only to hear her say, “I don’t know what happened. I came out, and she wasn’t there. The car door was open.”

The parking lot feels suffocating. Each breath burns like shards of glass in my lungs. My mother stands rigidly next to me, her face pale beneath her perfectly applied makeup, hands clasped in front of her. Carolina leans against a nearby car, her shoulders hunched, tears streaking her cheeks.

My heart isn’t just pounding—it’s thrashing, threatening to break free from my chest and splatter all over the asphalt. Why didn’t Julie use the damn security we hired?

“That woman will be the death of me,” I mutter under my breath.

I pull out my phone, fingers trembling as I dial the emergency number. Carolina’s sobs echo in the open space, her voice breaking. “I shouldn’t have gone inside… I shouldn’t have left her.”

My mot