Chapter 2
My daughter’s white dress was tangled with seaweed, strands of it winding around her like chains.
The icy dampness seeped from my fingertips straight into my chest, each touch stabbing me with a thousand tiny needles, sharp enough to steal my breath.
I clutched my daughter’s cold hand and sobbed until my throat burned.
I don’t know how long I stayed like that before my phone shattered the morgue’s silence with its harsh, jarring ring
Ethan’s voice came through, teeth clenched in fury. “Vivian, what filthy trick did you pull to get those videos?!”
He froze mid–breath, as if realizing what he’d just admitted, then rushed to correct himself.
“I mean who the hell made those fake clips for you? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused Sabrina by posting it?” Before I could respond, a soft, tremulous voice drifted through the line.
“Ethan… I’m scared. I just got another threatening text.”
She sniffled delicately, her tone perfectly measured. “Can you… take down all those pictures of your daughter? They frighten me.”
At her words, my spine went rigid. My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles ached. My voice shook when I spoke. “Photos? Where are you right now?”
His reply dripped with impatience. “Where do you think? At home. Thanks to you, a mob of lunatics has surrounded Sabrina’s place. Where else would we go?”
A sudden crash of shattering glass echoed over the line.
“Ethan, the frame just fell on its own. I didn’t-”
“It’s fine. She’s gone. A picture won’t change that. Don’t be scared, Sabrina,”
My knees buckled. I caught myself against the doorframe, the wood biting into my palm.
Her syrupy voice floated through again.
I ended the call mid–sentence and bolted for the door.
The drive blurred past, my mind racing through every ugly scenario I might walk into.
But when I finally opened my front door, none of those images came close to the reality that broke me.
