My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 720

As the reporter finished speaking, the news footage abruptly zoomed in, focusing on the rear of an overturned sedan.

To protect the identities of those involved, the license plate had been blurred out on screen.

Tristan Davis’s face went rigid. He leaned in, eyes locked onto the obscured plate, searching through the shattered rear window for any familiar details inside the car.

Emily Blair was a minimalist—her home, her style, her life. She never cared for gaudy decorations, and her car was no exception. The interior was almost bare, save for a single, cheerful touch: a little plush dog dangling from the rearview mirror, the only ornament Tristan had ever insisted on.

He’d found the stuffed puppy years ago, wandering a street market overseas. The toy had a wide, goofy grin, all four legs splayed out as if it were running wild—a picture of reckless optimism. Tristan was smitten at first sight. Without a second thought, he bought it and, once back home, pestered Emily until she agreed to hang it where she’d see it every day. She’d only given in after much coaxing, but from that day on, the plush dog had swung from her rearview mirror, untouched for three or four years.

And now, staring at the news broadcast, Tristan’s eyes were nothing like their usual calm. Elizabeth Wilson felt a sudden wave of panic. “What are you doing? Maybe we should call—just to be sure?”

Suddenly, Tristan exhaled, a ragged, heavy breath.

Elizabeth, already clutching her phone with clammy hands, tried to steady her nerves. “I’ll try calling Emily—just to check, okay?”

“Do it,” Tristan rasped, his voice hoarse. “Call her, now.”

Elizabeth had never seen Tristan like this. Her heart was pounding, palms slick with sweat. She nodded frantically, “Okay, I’m calling.”

Tristan’s gaze remained glued to one corner of the screen.

He forced the words out, voice raw. “I gave that to her.”

Realization dawned, and Elizabeth’s eyes darted frantically around the room before landing back on the screen, on that familiar toy.

It was the only decoration Emily ever allowed in her car. Elizabeth had ridden with her countless times, seen it swinging there again and again.

Her vision flickered in and out, her grip on the phone slipping.

She clutched the phone tighter, breath quick and shallow, still trying—desperately—to sound composed. “It…it could just be a coincidence. Let me try calling again, just to be sure.”