Twisted Devotion

Thirty One

Jess stood by the wide bay window of her childhood bedroom, staring out at the misty edge of the forest that stretched just beyond her father's house. The once-familiar view now felt foreign, distant, wrapped in a haze of memories that seemed more like fragments of a life she'd long left behind. She hadn't planned on staying here, not for this long. But without Ava, the city felt hollow, echoing with reminders of her absence.

Jess's fingers curled around the edge of the curtain, twisting the fabric absently as she recalled that first frantic call to the police, the hurried drive back to this house when it all became too much, the feeling of helplessness that gripped her as she spoke to the officer who had been assigned to Ava's case.

Detective Marcus Harris. Even his name felt heavy with meaning now, tinged with the hope he had given her, the brief glimmers of reassurance in his steady gaze. He was patient, unwavering, with a quiet determination that she had clung to like a lifeline. She had been meeting with him almost daily, going over every detail, every memory, every possibility that might lead them closer to Ava.

Her father, had been supportive, but Jess knew he worried. She saw it in the way he watched her, the extra kindness in his words, the way he'd offered to move back here temporarily, though he had seemed surprised by her decision to stay. She couldn't tell him how much she needed this—needed to be close to the familiar, to a place that didn't feel haunted by Ava's laughter and presence. This house was her only refuge now, a shield against the unbearable quiet of the city.

She sighed and turned away from the window, reaching for her jacket as she prepared to leave for the police station. She'd promised Marcus she'd stop by to review Ava's file again, to comb through the information one more time. Every meeting felt the same, a painful mixture of hope and despair, but Jess held on to any thread she could find, anything to keep moving forward.

When she arrived at the station, she spotted Marcus right away. He was at his desk, deep in thought, his brow furrowed as he thumbed through a stack of papers. Despite the exhaustion etched into his face, he looked up as she approached, a faint, reassuring smile softening his features.

"Jess," he said, standing up, and she felt her heart skip in that annoying way it did whenever he spoke her name. "Thanks for coming in. I thought we could go over a few more leads, just to see if anything stands out."

She nodded, her throat tightening with a mixture of gratitude and something else she couldn't quite name. There was something comforting in his presence, a steady strength that made her feel less alone in this terrifying unknown. He gestured for her to sit, and she took a seat across from him, their knees almost brushing as he leaned forward to pass her a stack of files.

"Any new developments?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer. They had been chasing down dead ends for days, and each dead end felt like another piece of her slipping away.

Marcus shook his head, his eyes darkening slightly. "Nothing concrete, but there are a few locations we're planning to search more thoroughly. Is there anything else you remember, anything that might've stood out in the weeks before she went missing? Anywhere at all where Dominic might of taken her?"

Jess bit her lip, her mind racing back through every interaction, that whole night where Dominic chased them through her dad's house and through the forest. She felt a pang of guilt, wondering if she should've fought back harder to save Ava.

"I don't know," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Marcus nodded, his gaze intent. "If there's anything you remember, anything at all, no matter how small, it could be important."

She swallowed hard, meeting his eyes, feeling the weight of his sincerity. "I'll keep thinking. I just—I can't lose her. She's my best friend."

Marcus's hand reached out, resting lightly on her arm. His touch was warm, grounding, and Jess felt a flicker of warmth, a reminder that she wasn't alone in this. He was here, searching with her, determined to find Ava.

"We'll find her, Jess," he said softly, his voice laced with conviction. "I promise you that."

His words gave her a spark of hope, and as they returned to their work, pouring over maps and reports, she let herself believe, if only for a moment, that maybe this nightmare would end, that she'd see Ava again.