Chapter 150
Chapter 150:
She gave him a brief account of what had unfolded recently, then searched his face. “You won’t tell Colton where I am, right p>
Without hesitation, Ryan answered, “Of course I won’t p>
A hint of humor crept into her tone. “Although, if you did sell me out, you could probably make a decent amount of money p>
Ryan chuckled and shook his head. “I wish it worked that way, but I don’t even have Mr. Yates’ contact details p>
Kristine looked at him, and the two exchanged a quiet, understanding smile.
At that moment, Helen appeared in the doorway and caught sight of them together. An unfamiliar ache settled in her chest. Despite knowing Ryan for years, she had never seen him smile with such ease and warmth. Before she could stop herself, her eyes lingered on Kristine, and slowly her vision blurred as emotion welled up.
After talking a little longer, Kristine excused herself and headed back inside. Later, only Susan remained in the living room, with Helen nowhere in sight.
𝘚a𝘷e 𝘺оu𝗿 𝗳аvо𝗿𝘪𝗍е no𝘃𝘦𝗹s 𝗼n
“Where did Helen go?” Kristine asked.
Susan rested the remote on her lap. “She told me she was exhausted, so she turned in early p>
Kristine glanced at the clock — it was barely past eight. She assumed schoolwork had worn Helen out and chose not to dwell on it, settling back to watch television with Susan.
Nearby, Ryan remained in the living room as well. He took a seat beside Kristine and occasionally let his eyes drift toward her face. Bathed in the gentle glow of the lights, her profile looked almost unreal, and every glance made his heart beat faster. Turning his attention elsewhere felt nearly impossible.
Morning arrived, and Kristine soon noticed that both Ryan and Helen were already gone.
Susan explained, “They said they planned to sketch around Lunatown. They might be back late, so they won’t join us for lunch p>
Kristine nodded and accepted the explanation without question. As the hours stretched on, concern crept in when ten o’clock came and went with no sign of either of them. Susan grew visibly uneasy. “It’s already this late. What’s happening? Do you think something went wrong p>
Reaching for her phone, Kristine tried to steady her. “Don’t panic. We’ll head out and look for them.” After a brief pause, Susan nodded. “Okay p>
The two of them split up and searched in different directions.
Down by the shore, Kristine eventually spotted Ryan with his easel slung over his shoulder.
Hurrying toward him, she called out, “Ryan, where is Helen p>
Startled by the question, he looked confused. “She’s not back at the house p>
“No. She never came back p>
“But…” His voice trailed off as something occurred to him. He pulled out his phone and tried to call Helen. The call went unanswered.
After a moment’s thought, he held the phone out to Kristine. “You try. We had an argument earlier — she might ignore me p>
As she keyed in Helen’s number, Kristine asked quietly, “What was the argument about p>
Nearly a full minute passed before the call finally connected.
Keeping her tone gentle, Kristine said, “Helen, where are you right now p>