Chapter 0352


    I feel a bit more rxed now after that stranger’s kind words; even though I don’t even know his name,


    he managed to uplift me. And that means a lot.


    Suddenly, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I slip it out and quirk an eyebrow when I see it’s a call from


    Karl. I haven’t heard from him since he left, and in my drunken state of mind, the thought of hearing his


    voice makes me smile.


    “Hey,” I answer, my speech a little slurred. “Miss me?”


    It’ste, and I half expect him to be making a midnight booty call, but the voice thates through the


    phone tells a different story.


    “Abby,” he says, sounding exasperated, “We need to talk. Now.”


    My heart skips a beat. I stop in my tracks, confused. “Is everything okay?”


    He lets out a sigh, and I can just picture him running a hand through his hair. “I just got word from the


    police. They want to question Gianna. Because of you.”


    I feel a lump forming in my throat. I guess I should have suspected this, but it still took me by surprise.


    “Already, huh?” I ask, starting to walk again.


    “So you did turn her in?” he asks.


    “Well, ‘turn her in’ is a bit of an overstatement,” I point out as I fumble in my pocket for my keys. “But,


    Karl, I found out that my CCTV footage on the night of the Alpha party was tampered with, so I took it to


    the police. When they asked if I had any enemies, I could only think of two names.”


    He sighs again. “Let me guess: Gianna and Daniel.”


    “Yup,” I say with a nod. I approach my apartment and jog up the steps. In my drunkenness, I drop my


    keys and giggle a bit at my clumsiness, then stoop to pick them up. Getting a bit dizzy, I wind up sitting


    on the step, taking a deep breath.


    Karl, somehow drawing this conclusion without even seeing me, says, “Abby, are you drunk?”


    I can’t help but giggle a little again. “I may have had one or two or three drinks.”


    “Abby…” I can tell he’s exasperated, but he also chuckles on the other end. “You’re a mess.”


    “I’m trying not to be, I promise,” I say, running my hand through my hair as my tone grows serious. “It’s


    just…”


    “I know it’s hard,” he says softly. “And I know you’ve been under a lot of stresstely, and I get why


    you’d suspect Gianna. Hell, I’d suspect her, too. But you should’ve reached out to me first. Gianna is


    my brother’s election manager, and this is going to cause a lot of issues.”


    I’m taken aback. “Election? What election?”


    He pauses for a moment. “Shit,” he says, “I’ve been so busy I forgot to mention it to you: Ethan and I


    are holding an election to decide who gets to be Alpha. It’s been crazy these past few days.”


    “Wow,” I breathe, still in shock. “That’s… Do you need help, Karl? I could—”Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    “When will I see you next?”  Dr?мanоvels


    The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. My cheeks instantly flush red, but it doesn’t


    matter.


    He pauses for a long time. And then, with a sigh, the words he says next make my heart sink.


    “I don’t know, Abby. Maybe not for a long time.”