PART 3 That was the name they always brought up whenever they wanted me to feel guilty. My grandmother had been the one person in the family who never made me feel like an inconvenience. When I was younger, she used to sit with me on the wooden dock and tell me that a person’s…

PART 3 I slipped the old phone into my pocket and stood up. The floor creaked beneath my boots. A voice came from behind me. “Cole?” Shannon. She stood at the end of the hallway wearing yesterday’s clothes, her hair tangled, her eyes narrowed against the morning light. “What are you doing?” I ended the…

PART 3 “But if he didn’t give you my name, who did?” Rebecca lowered her voice. “Sophie.” The name landed like a stone. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then I asked, “What happened?” “She came into the clinic yesterday.” My fingers tightened around the pen. “Is she okay?” “Yes. Physically, she’s fine.” “Then…

PART 3 That was the name they always brought up whenever they wanted me to feel guilty. My grandmother had been the one person in the family who never made me feel like an inconvenience. When I was younger, she used to sit with me on the wooden dock and tell me that a person’s…

PART 3 I slipped the old phone into my pocket and stood up. The floor creaked beneath my boots. A voice came from behind me. “Cole?” Shannon. She stood at the end of the hallway wearing yesterday’s clothes, her hair tangled, her eyes narrowed against the morning light. “What are you doing?” I ended the…

PART 3 “But if he didn’t give you my name, who did?” Rebecca lowered her voice. “Sophie.” The name landed like a stone. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then I asked, “What happened?” “She came into the clinic yesterday.” My fingers tightened around the pen. “Is she okay?” “Yes. Physically, she’s fine.” “Then…