Chapter 6 - The Shadow on the Lawn
The golden afternoon light suddenly felt freezing against my skin as my mother stopped two feet away from me, her sharp, assessing eyes searching my face for any hint of what I knew.
"I'm fine, Mom," I managed to say, forcing my jaw to relax while my handbag felt like an anchor weighing down my shoulder. "Just a headache. Too much sun."
Mom tilted her head, her silver-streaked hair catching the glare of the patio string lights. She raised a delicate hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair away from my forehead. Her touch, once a source of total safety, now made my stomach heave with violent revulsion.
"You've been under so much stress lately, darling," Mom murmured, her voice dripping with an insidious, suffocating sweetness. "Ever since those boys were born, you've carried such a heavy heart. But remember, we got through it together. You have Leo and Mason. That's all that matters."
That's all that matters.
The phrase was a velvet-wrapped threat. She was reminding me of what I had—and by extension, what she could take away, or what she had already stolen.
"Yeah," I whispered, stepping back just enough to break physical contact. "I'm going to grab some water inside. Keep an eye on the cake, would you?"
Before she could answer, I turned on my heel and walked back into the cool dimness of the kitchen. Through the window over the sink, I watched her. She didn't return to the barbecue immediately. Instead, she stood by the edge of the lawn, her eyes fixed on the back door of the house, watching me with a cold, calculating stillness that froze the blood in my veins.
The clock on the microwave read 5:58 PM.
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Sunset was at 6:20 PM at the old boathouse by the lake. If I didn't leave right now, I would miss the meeting entirely—or worse, my mother would realize I had the file and intercept me before I could find out where my son had spent the last eighteen years.
I didn't go to the kitchen sink. I slipped through the pantry, unlocked the side door leading to the garage, and slid quietly behind the wheel of my car.
