Robert sprang on his sentiment. “That’s right! Get out there and take your mind off the bustle of Galway.”

Aiden nodded. “Yeah, maybe that will help.”

“And while you’re out there,” Robert said as he stood. “Trim those whiskers down. I’ve noticed that you tend to forget shaving when you’re depressed.”

Aiden laughed and absently scratched the side of his bearded face. “Fine, I’ll shave.”

“And you’ll get rest?” Robert said. “As your superior, I must insist on it.”

“If it’s an order from my boss, then I suppose I must.”

As they exited the classroom, Robert clapped Aiden’s back. “You’ll see. When you get to the water, you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

Aiden looked down at the old man and managed a smile. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he trusted Robert’s judgement. If Tully Cross had the answers, he’d make the pilgrimage.

Chapter Five

Antonia woke up with cottonmouth.

As she cracked her swollen eyes against the harsh light of her living room window, she groaned from the shooting pain in her head. She shifted her stiff body against sunken couch cushions and hissed from the pain in her neck. On her coffee table sat an empty bottle of red blend wine and no wineglass. “Of course.”

Most of last night’s memories came back in a miserable flood: the long painful train ride back to her apartment on Devon Avenue, fleeing Derek’s apartment, Derek’s text messages... Reality slammed into her all over again. Today was just a new, worse day for her to handle. Antonia lifted her wristwatch close to her face to check the time. “Shit.”

It was already noon.

She darted up from the couch and instantly wove from a wash of dizziness. She sat back down and searched the living room for her bag. It was lying on the floor near the kitchen. Afraid to test her legs, Antonia slid off the couch onto the carpeted floor. Her head was pounding, an awful reminder of her indulgence. She didn’t quite indulge, that would suggest that she enjoyed drinking an entire bottle of wine on her own. It wasn’t even good wine. It was the cheap stuff she purchased from Mr. Spivak at the corner mart. On an unsteady crawl, she finally reached her bag and found her phone.

11 Missed Calls.

23 New Messages.

Some of them were from Derek, but as she scrolled Antonia grew worried. Her mother, her sister, and Eddie had all called this morning. Derek called five times last night. Did Derek have the guts to call her family after she’d left him? What had he told them? She checked the text messages from Eddie first.

OMG WHERE ARE YOU?? Richard called a meeting. People are losing it

SHIT. Are you ok? Octavia just called me. What happened with Derek?

Shit shit shit. We’re fucked.

Are you awake? Can you call?? Richard has lost his FUCKING MIND!

The more Antonia read, the more confused she became. She had hoped to get her shit together and tell her loved ones herself. She checked the messages from her sister and found just as much alarm from her.