“Hi, guys,” I said, my voice one octave higher than usual. I’d clearly walked in on something. Should I stay? Run to the kitchen? I searched the living room walls like there was an invisible spot on them.

Scott cleared his throat. “We were just talking.”

“Okay, okay . . .” Heat surged through me.

Scott pointed to the club chair in front of the couch. “You might as well be here for this.” He waited for me to sit before turning his focus back to Kate. “I know I just said that this conversation is only between us, but, believe me, you can trust Meredith,” he said.

She peeked up and gave me a tiny smile. I smiled back. There was no way to have a private conversation in a wired room, but I wasn’t about to point that out.

“Kate, I hate doing this to you, but it’s eating me up inside. I need to know what happened the day you went missing. Brian and Camille think that you left to join Love International willingly. I told them there was no way that was true, that there had to be some other explanation, and I know you don’t want to talk about things, sweetie. I get that.” He got off the couch and knelt on the floor in front of her. Their engagement photos flashed through my memory unbidden. I shoved them away as he stared at her with desperation written all over his face. “But please tell me what happened that day. You don’t have to talk about anything else with me ever again, I promise. I just have to know—did they take you, or did you just leave?”

The room filled with the enormity of his question. I scooted forward in my chair, as eager for the truth as Scott.

“I left.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“I don’t get it.” Confusion filled his eyes. “Why would you leave us? Why?”

Huge tears slipped down her cheeks as her lower lip quivered. “I’m so sorry, Scott.”

He raised his hands and touched her face as softly as I was sure he’d touched Abbi’s when she was a baby. “You went because you wanted to?”

“I did, Scottie. I did,” she said. A heaving sob shook her body.

Scott’s eyes never wavered from hers. He gazed at her with as much love as he had before he asked the question.

“Why, Kate? I just want to know why?” He was crying too. They’d forgotten I was there. Sadness washed over me.

Kate held Shiloh against her chest, rocking back and forth like she did when she got really upset. She muttered underneath her breath while she moved.

“Please, Kate.” He sounded like a little boy.

“I waited for you to come,” she said when she’d finally found her voice. “Why didn’t you ever come?” Her question was engulfed by another sob.

KATE

THEN

Ray quickly ushered me into his office and shut the door behind us. “Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked.