Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four
Alicia's POV
I woke up to an empty apartment. The morning light came through the curtains in thin strips, and for a moment I just lay there, listening to the silence.
Something felt off.
I got up and checked the living room. Empty. The kitchen. Empty. Sophie's room.
Her bed was made. Her bag was gone.
I found a note on the kitchen counter, her handwriting messy like always.
"Went to explore the city. Don't worry. I'll be back later. - S"
I stared at the note for a long time. She was seventeen. Old enough to take care of herself, technically. But we were in a foreign country, hiding from people who would hurt us if they found us, and she'd just decided to go exploring.
I wanted to be angry. Wanted to call her and tell her to come back immediately. But my phone buzzed with a text before I could.
The car would be here in thirty minutes.
Right. The job. My first day.
