Myers

wearing blue-light glasses, my fingers flying across the mechanica

y, my phone began to buzz against the wo

led open the drawer, and looked at the screen flashin

Concord since I had walked ou

ered the call on the screen, swiped to answer, and

by the rapid, uneven breathing of a five-year-old child

ng, my heart gave an involun

calle

y daughter ever reached for

her, answering in monosyllables and handing the

unhappy when she was with me, so I stopped demanding whether she still loved me. I had chose

d for two seconds, let out a small gasp like a s

y mind-Grayce sick again, Grayce hurt, Grayce in some kind of trouble and too scared to tell m

n't just randomly ca

k up and dialed Martha

screen, her graying hair pulled back in its usual neat bun, the fa

er eyes darting to the side. "Is everything al

r than I intended. "What happened?

gh, and her expression softened

you left, she's been asking when your three o'clock call would come, and when it never did, she kept pester

n closed it, the words

tness flooded my heart-someth

n my mouth, her next words

a whisper. "But then Miss Burt came

amiliar tall figure in a dark bespoke s

at, sliding her hand naturally through the crook of my arm wit

r her, his gray eyes soft in a way t

lean down to answer her, and I watched the air between them do

evel II, one notch lower than hers, which on an A

hardware in this world. He had never onc

pping with the easy joy of a child who had no idea

avy in my hand, the silence stre

ther, the Omega mother, the bright-eyed little daughter-walking tog

weekends Charlsie had whisked them away to ski lodges and private islands, of the photos

er, the tiny spark of hope that she had misse

face, because she hurriedly stepped sidewa

ispered quickly. "you'll be able to s

ed th

he phone down on the kitchen count

rmth that was never coming. Tonight, I