Chapter 79. How Could She?

Travis Turner squared his shoulders and walked with determined strides down the cobblestone pathway leading to Camila’s favorite café, Espresso Expressions. The morning air was crisp, carrying the rich, inviting scent of roasted coffee beans and a faint hint of autumn leaves beginning to fall. His breath formed small clouds in the chilly air as he moved, each step echoing lightly against the stones beneath his polished shoes. He had been trying to reach Camila for days, but her silence had been impenetrable, a fog thick enough to obscure even the clearest path.

“Camila has to be here,” he murmured under his breath, adjusting the collar of his overcoat and glancing through the café’s large windows. He could see the warm glow of lights inside, the aroma of espresso and pastries practically tangible even from the sidewalk. She often spoke about how the comforting hum of the café—the soft murmur of conversation, the hiss o