Aubrey's POV

　　The call went to voicemail.

　　Again.

　　My hand trembled as I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring down at the screen like I could will it into changing reality. Joseph's name still glowed faintly in the recent calls list, taunting me.

　　"Pick up, please," I whispered, more to myself than the universe. "Come on…"

　　I stood frozen outside the bookstore's garden, the evening air cool against my flushed cheeks. The ...