The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 182

Liora’s POV

Callum and I walked in silence for a while, the only sound between us the crunching of our boots on the ground and the occasional shout.

“Marissa!” I called out, cupping my hands around my mouth. My voice echoed into the ravine below, bouncing back at me several times before the silence fell again.

No response.

After a few more minutes of walking, I couldn’t take the uncomfortable quiet any longer. Curious, I glanced sidelong at Callum and asked, “What happened to your group, by the way? I thought you would be with Bianca.”

“I was.” He lifted his shoulders. “Needed some air.”

“So you broke your own rule,” I pointed out with a chuckle.

For a moment, I thought I saw a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of Callum’s mouth. That was a first in… a while. The last time I’d seen something similar to that look was the night he’d given me a ride. The night he decided that I was a no-good liar who was not to be trusted.

His smile faded quickly, though, and I didn’t comment further.

Reaching the edge of the ravine, we paused, peering below. The thin stream that usually ran through it was frozen now. I could see a few tiny waterfalls that had turned into icicles glistening in the cold sun like little winter fairy grottos.

“It’s pretty out here,” I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets, “if you don’t think too hard about what might have happened to her.”

Callum merely grunted in response. I looked over at him to see him crouching nearby, brushing his fingers across the base of a boulder. “Find something?” I asked, walking over, but he just shook his head.

“No. Thought I did, but… No.” There was a disappointment in his voice that took me off guard. Almost as if he blamed himself for Marissa’s disappearance. As if he could have somehow done something about it.

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