Page 143 of Perfume Girl

“It was a good thing you found him.”

Astor’s expression hardened. “What are you doing here, Raquel?”

“I need to show you something—”

“I heard you threatened my sister?”

“I did no such thing.”

“She called me. You upset her.”

“Ask Taylor,” I said defensively. “She was there.” I pressed the ledger against his chest and he took it from me. “Astor, I should have shown you this instead of fussing over the formula when you were at my shop. Bear in mind I never saw your ingredients. You never showed them to me.”

His frown deepened. “What is this?”

“It’s proof.” I forced a smile to reassure him.

He gave a resigned nod, then opened the book and flipped through it.

“The last page.” I watched him skim. “The last formula is the one I was working on. Recognize it?”

He looked confused. “What am I meant to be looking at?”

Astor flipped open the book for me to see the last page—only it was not the right formula. It was the previous one.

“Give it to me.” My voice faltered as I took it back from him and flipped to the where the formula was meant to be. “I don’t understand.”

Looking closer, I ran my fingertip along the faint tear in the middle where the page had been ripped out. My thoughts racing, I tried to recall when I had last seen it—before I’d given this to book to Damien for safekeeping.

“He tore out the page,” my voice rasped. “Damien…”

“Ah.”

“I took a photo with my phone.” I went to reach for it.

“Don’t.” A flash of sympathy showed on Astor’s face before his expression morphed once more into hard-edged doubt.

“You have to believe me, Astor.”

He came closer, so close his body pressed mine back into the wall. “Raquel, I can’t deny that what you and I had was special. But it’s over. Whatever you intended it to be—”

“I don’t understand.” My lips trembled.

“Let’s take these memories with us and forget the rest,” he whispered. “This is how I want to remember you.”

“Remember me how?” I exhaled sharply.

His hands cupped my face and he pressed his lips to my mouth firmly, his tongue darting and dancing with mine, comforting and soothing and promising that somehow, some way we’d survive this…

Until he pulled away from me, his eyes filled with sadness. “Goodbye, Raquel.”

“But—”

He turned and headed down the hallway.

There were no more words that could be spoken. I had outstayed my welcome and the air had become suffocating in this old house. The ghosts haunting this place had found me, too.

With my ledger clutched to my chest I bowed my head in shame and hurried out the front door realizing this last piece of evidence had been stolen from me, too.