Page 119 of Symphony for Lies

I slowly shook my head.

“The thought of never coming back to you. The thought of someone else having you.” His hands balled into fists.“I would’ve lost my fucking mind. But then you came.” He let out a low breath, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.“You have no idea what I felt in that moment.”

His words made my chest ache. I cupped his face, pulling him toward me for a kiss filled with everything we couldn’t say.

One week passed, and it felt surreal.

After all the chaos, life had somehow returned to normal. Zane stayed with us for a few days.

And to my surprise, Grandma and he got along better than I ever expected.Sometimes, I’d catch them chatting in the kitchen as if they were old friends.

When she wasn’t home, my friends came over and gave me a long, heated lecture about my reckless actions, making me promise that if I ever got involved in something dangerous again, they’d rat me out to my grandmother.

At the end of the week, Zane and I had a meeting at the police station to give our statements.

Spencer questioned us separately.

When it was my turn, I explained everything in detail, even offering to keep helping in the investigation. Spencer thanked me with an expression that said he wanted me far away from the case.

My statement also cleared Tristan.

He was released from custody, and two days later, I received a message from him.

Tristan:

Amelia, I heard what you did. Thank you. Honestly, I still don’t get how things got this bad. Someone clearly wanted me to take the fall, and I didn’t even see it coming. I am glad you believed in my innocence.

I can’t say much yetasthings are still being looked into. But I just wanted you to know that I’m staying out of sight for now. The spotlight’s not exactly kind these days.

You’ve always been my muse, Amelia.And even if I keep my distance now, I won’t forget that.

Thank you for everything.

The words sent a surge of relief through me. I was sure he wasn’t the killer. The real culprit tried to ruin his life and tested me by taking Zane… It was terrifying, but I didn’t have the energy to unravel that thread yet. I was just glad I could finally breathe again.

A new week began, and Zane vanished over the weekend. He told me he had things to take care of, but I didn’t think much of it.Maybe I should have.

The day started as usual until I got a call from the school during my lunch break.

“Miss.Walker?”Mr. Anderson, the principal, said.

“Yes?”

An awkward silence stretched over the line, and then he cleared his throat.“I’m sorry to inform you that you can no longer tutor the students.”

“Excuse me?”

“We appreciate your work, truly. But we’ve found someone to replace you.”

“You owe me an explanation!”

“Certain… rumors have reached me. And the fact remains,you’ve caused great disruption.”

“Disruption?”

“The police have been attheschool multiple times. And every single time, you were involved.Let’s part ways amicably, Miss.Walker. Your final paycheck will be sent to you soon.”

With that, he hung up.