The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 499

Hearing that familiar name, a flicker of dazed vulnerability crossed Gavin's face. He frowned, fighting hard to suppress his emotions.

Maisie never liked it when he got like this.

Watching him, a sharp ache twisted in Nanette's chest. Unable to hold back her bitterness, she snapped, "Maisie is dead. Why can't you just let her go?"

"She's not dead!" His pale lips pressed into a thin line, the corners of his eyes reddening.

As if clinging to a desperate lifeline, he repeated it. "She's not dead."

He turned away, missing the resentment festering in Nanette's eyes. Her hands curled into tight fists against the wall, her frustration boiling over.

Of course she knew Maisie wasn't dead. She even knew exactly where the woman was hiding.

...

In the car, a chill ran down Galen's spine when Franco dropped the bombshell that Petty's parents might still be alive.

"You're saying they're alive? How is that even possible? Didn't you back Gavin and Maisie into a corner until they..."

He trailed off, lowering his voice. "Are you serious? Don't mess with me."

Even in broad daylight, the topic gave him the creeps.

"Could you be mistaken? This is totally absurd. There's no way. You've got to be wrong about this, right?"

Galen's voice grew quieter with every question. Franco wasn't one to throw around baseless claims, and he certainly wouldn't joke about something like this.

Franco's expression remained unreadable, though his dark eyes held a heavy, unfathomable depth. He turned to gaze out the window at the endless flow of traffic.

Petty was deeply traumatized and currently recovering. Dropping a bomb like this now might push her over the edge.

He sighed, at a loss for words, and patted his friend's shoulder. "I guess this is just your lot in life."

"Get your hand off me," Franco replied, shooting him a cool glance.

Galen dropped his teasing demeanor. "Jokes aside, until you're absolutely certain her parents survived, keeping it to yourself is the smart play. We haven't figured it out all these years, but maybe taking a fresh approach will turn up something. You focus on Abacus's health for now. I'll make some calls and start digging."

Back at the hospital, Franco stepped out of the elevator just as the doors to the adjacent one opened. Petty walked out, dressed in a hospital gown.

Both of them stopped in their tracks.

Galen instinctively glanced at Franco. With Petty right in front of him, could the guy really hold his tongue?