Chapter 4

The trailer was quiet, completely unlike our tiny, cozy apartment that was always overflowing with painting supplies.

Everything here was sleek, expensive, and smelled of a clean, subtle cologne.

Julian placed me gently on a soft leather sofa and sat down opposite me, keeping some distance.

He took off his cap, revealing the exact face from Mom’s photograph, though his deep eyes were now filled with a turbulent storm of emotions.

"Your mother... Aria. Where is she right now?"

He finally spoke, his voice hoarse.

"In the hospital," I answered obediently, nervously clutching the hem of my shirt. "Mrs. Gable said Mommy is really, really sick, and it takes a lot of money to make her better."

"Who is Mrs. Gable?"

"Our downstairs neighbor."

He seemed to be processing the information rapidly, his eyebrows still tightly knit.

[He believes her! He definitely believes her! But he's naturally paranoid; he's going to want one more confirmation!]

[Quick, Lily! Give him a sign! Tell him a secret that only he and Aria would know!]

[Oh, I remember! The original novel mentioned that Aria has a very faint star-shaped scar on the inside of her wrist. They got it in college when they rescued a stray kitten stuck in a tree!]

A secret?

Looking at his probing eyes, I summoned my courage and said:

"Mommy has a little star on her wrist. She told me Mr. Moon put it there so he could always find her."

*Mr. Moon?*

The scrolling chat bubbles went silent for a brief second, and then flooded my vision at a manic speed.

[Oh my god! Mr. Moon! That was Julian’s nickname in college because his middle name is Lucius! Aria used to call him that!]

[It’s their special inside joke! He’s completely broken now! Look at his face!]

[Holy crap, my daughter is a literal genius with god-tier information!]

I saw Julian’s entire body shudder. The cold wall he had tried so hard to maintain collapsed instantly, replaced by a wave of pure shock.

His hands, resting on his knees, clenched into tight fists, the veins bulging on the back of his hands.

He stared at me, his lips trembling, but he couldn't form a single word.

Finally, he bolted upright and began pacing the narrow trailer like a caged, wounded beast.

He yanked out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen as he dialed a number.

"Connor," he said, his voice as taut as a piano wire. "Go. Right now. Check City General Hospital. See if there is a patient named Aria Sterling. Do it immediately! Use whatever resources you need and get me every piece of information on her!"

He hung up, and the trailer fell back into a suffocating silence.

He didn't sit down again. He just stood by the window, his back to me.

I couldn't see his face, but I could see his shoulders trembling slightly.

I felt like... he was very sad.