Chapter 2: Someone Was Paying Attention
That night, I put Lily to bed in my sister's spare room.
She fell asleep still holding my hand.
My phone had 23 missed calls.
Fourteen from Jason.
Six from Brooke.
Three from a number I didn't recognize.
I didn't call back.
At 6 a.m., Jason appeared at my sister's door.
He looked like he hadn't slept.
He looked like he wanted me to feel sorry for that.
"Emily, please.
Mom is devastated.
She didn't mean—"
"She left a mark on our daughter's face, Jason."
"She's sixty-two.
She grew up differently.
You know how she is."
I looked at him for a long moment.
"I do," I said.
"That's the problem."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"If you go to a lawyer, this destroys the family.
Is that what you want?
To destroy everything over a bowl of soup?"
I almost laughed.
"I'm not going to one lawyer, Jason."
His face changed.
"What does that mean?"
Before I could answer, my phone lit up on the table behind me.
I glanced at the screen.
It was the unknown number again.
This time, a text came through.
*I was on Brooke's livestream last night.
I saw everything.
I saved the recording.
Call me.*
Jason saw my face shift.
He tried to read the screen.
I turned the phone over.
"Who is that?" he asked.
I picked up Lily's bag and moved toward the door.
"Someone who was paying attention," I said.
---
What Emily found out about that recording changed everything.
May you like
The full story — including what Diane had done before that birthday dinner — is in the link below.
Click to read the rest.
