Theo POV

24 hours.

24 hours of pain.

24 hours of rage.

24 fucking hours of images that I can’t stop.

Lucy crying. Lucy screaming. Lucy in pain. Lucy hurt. Lucy bleeding.

I felt like she was in front of me, and I couldn’t save her. I could hear her screaming my name, but I couldn’t do shit for her.

It is my fault that she is gone. It is my fault that Noah isn’t talking.
 
I should have stopped them. I knew it wasn’t safe. I had a terrible feeling, and I let her leave the house. I let her go without me.

“I am so sorry, Noah.” I whispered, looking at my brother.

He was sitting on her bed, looking through the window. He hasn’t said a word since yesterday.

“This is my fucking fault.” I said, gripping my hair. “I should have listened to you. I should have told them to fuck off. I should have kept her here.”

Noah stayed silent. He didn’t move a muscle.

I opened my mouth to talk to him, but her phone rang. Again.

It was Mike. He was calling her for, like, the hundredth time today. I kept ignoring his calls, but I knew I would have to answer and tell him the truth.

I placed the phone back on the desk, ignoring the call and focusing on my brother.

“Noah?” I called him desperately. “Can you talk to me? Scream at me, hit me, just do something, please. I can’t lose you too.”

He stayed silent, but he moved.

Thank God.

He turned his head to look at me. His eyes were void of any emotion, but I knew he was in pain. He took my hand in his, gripping it tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Noah.” I whispered, looking in his eyes. “I am so fucking sorry.”

He moved his gaze from me and continued staring through the window.

His hand didn’t leave mine, though.

That had to be a good sign.

The door to her room burst open.

I turned around abruptly. Noah didn’t even flinch.

Ethan, Aiden, and Riley barged in.

“Where is she?”

“Did you find her?”

“Who the fuck took her?!”

They screamed at the same time.

I took a deep breath, shaking my head and looking back at Noah. I wanted him back. I needed him back. He is the only one who can understand my pain right now.

“Is he okay?” Aiden whispered softly.

“He hasn’t said a word since yesterday.” I mumbled.

“Shit.” Riley sighed.

“Why the fuck aren’t you out there searching for her?!” Ethan exclaimed angrily. “We should be out there!”

I turned my head from Noah to Ethan. My anger bubbled up in my veins. My fists clenched and my nostrils flared.

“You don’t think I want that?!” I screamed at him. “You don’t think that I’m not dying slowly with each passing minute without her?! I would turn this fucking city upside down, but I can’t! I fucking can’t!”

“Theo…” Aiden started speaking, but I cut him off.

“No!” I yelled. “You have no fucking idea what I’m going through right now! Your fucking twin is here! She is right here, and she is safe! I have no fucking idea where mine is or if she is even alive, and my own brother won’t let me out of the fucking house!”

Aiden stared at me, his eyes filled with tears.

“So don’t fucking talk to me about searching for her.” I shouted, turning back to look at Ethan. “If it wasn’t for Liam and his concern about my fucking safety, I would be out there looking under every fucking rock in this city!”

The room was silent. Aiden, Ethan, and Riley stared at me with tears in their eyes.
But the sound of one voice made my heart skip a beat.

“Take that back, Theo.” Noah finally spoke.

I turned around so fast that the entire room spun.

“Noah!” I yelled, running to him.

“Take it back!” he shouted angrily.

I furrowed my eyebrows. What the fuck did I say?!

“Noah…” I said, but he interrupted me.

“She is not dead, Theo!” he yelled, and my blood froze.

I said that, didn’t I? I said that I don’t even know if she is alive.

My heart started thumping in my chest, pressing up against my rib cage, trying to leave my body. A lump the size of the sun was lodged in my throat. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like someone was squeezing my lungs. My whole body was in pain just thinking about her being…

“She is alive.” a soft voice startled me. “She is alive, and she will be back home soon. They will find her. She will be back in your arms soon. I know that. I have to believe that. You have to believe that.”

I turned around to see Riley giving us a small smile. There were tears falling down her cheeks, and he was gripping Aiden’s hand tightly.

I turned back to look at Noah.

“I’m sorry, Noah.” I whispered. “I take it back. She is fine and she will be home soon.”

Noah’s tear-filled eyes locked onto mine. “She is fine. She will be home soon.”

He repeated my words like he was trying to convince himself.

His eyes moved from mine, and he looked behind me. The pain I saw in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. I turned around to see Aiden hugging Riley, pressing a kiss on top of her head.

Noah and I couldn’t do that. Our sister was gone.

Lucy’s phone rang again. I sighed, picking it up from the desk.

“Isn’t that Lucy’s phone?” Ethan asked, walking toward me and looking at the screen. “Who is calling her?”

“Mike.” I mumbled.

“Who the fuck is Mike?” Ethan asked angrily.

I looked up at him. What the hell was his problem?

“Mike is Lucy’s friend.” I said, my voice shaking when I said her name. “He’s been calling her all day. I don’t have the energy to answer and explain.”

“Let me.” Ethan said coldly, taking the phone from my hand.

He answered the call and walked out of the room. I could hear him introducing himself to Mike. I thought about going after him, taking the phone, and talking to Mike myself, but I didn’t want to leave Noah. Also, it was good that Ethan answered. I won’t have to listen to the phone ring again.

I looked back at Aiden and Riley. He still had his arms around her. They were looking at Noah with sadness on their faces.

“Never take her for granted.” I told Aiden, pointing at Riley. “You don’t want to know how much pain we are in.”

Aiden gulped, looking down at his sister. “I can’t even imagine what you are going through.”

“I feel like I’m being ripped apart slowly.” Noah mumbled. “And it’s even worse than when we were kids because then she left with our mom. We missed her, but we thought she was with mom, and nothing bad could happen. Now that I know that she has been taken by two grown men who have already hurt her…”

Noah stopped talking, tears falling down his cheeks.

I knew exactly what he was talking about. If they touched her…

If that fucker Brian even thought about…

If Jack raised his hand on her…

I had to force myself to stop thinking about that, because there would be even more broken furniture around the house.

“Both of them hurt her before?” Riley whispered softly.

I nodded, not looking away from Noah, who stared at his lap.

The door to the room opened abruptly. I thought it was Ethan coming back, but Liam’s voice made me look away from Noah.

“The police found their car.” Liam said coldly. “They are searching the area right now.”