Chapter 4: The Voice Beside Her

“You know?” I asked.

“We all know,” Evelyn said. “Grant is dealing with a board emergency. You need to stop making this dramatic.”

My daughter’s heartbeat dipped again.

Melissa pulled the curtain open and pointed at my phone, silently urging me to hang up.

I raised one finger.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“Busy.”

“With the board?”

“With matters you wouldn’t understand.”

Then came a soft laugh through the line. Young. Female. Comfortable.

A whisper followed, careless and close to the receiver.

“Is she still awake?”

My fingertips went cold around the phone.

Evelyn did not correct her. She did not move away. She did not even pretend. And in that moment, the mercy I had wasted on that family finally ran out… Continue Reading ⬇️