The sound of my phone ringing drags me out of sleep. My eyes fly open, my body aching like I have been folded wrong. I shove the blanket off and turn my head, searching for Daisy. She should be here. She always jumps onto the bed and curls up beside me.
She is not there.
I sit up, scanning the room. Nothing looks out of place. The phone keeps ringing, louder now, but I don’t see it.
The bedroom door is open.
I swing my legs off the bed and walk into the living room. My phone sits on the table, screen lit. Relief slips out of me in a quiet breath as I drop onto the chair and grab it.
Mia is calling on FaceTime.
I answer.
This time, it is not a ceiling or a shaking hand with a ring. It is her face. Puffy. Bruised. One eye is swollen, almost shut.
I sink back into the chair, my attention locking onto the screen. “What happened?”
She sniffles. Her lips tremble. Tears cling to her lashes before spilling over. “He cheated, Em.” Her voice cracks. “I caught him with his assistant.”
My stomach twists. “Shit.”
She opens her mouth, then closes it. Her phone shifts as she sets it down. The sound that comes out of her next is raw and broken, like something tearing loose inside her.
“Last night,” she says, her voice lower now. “He came home drunk and…”
“What happened?” I ask.
She can’t answer. Her shoulders shake. She sucks in air like she is drowning, quiet sobs breaking through no matter how hard she tries to stop them.
“Mia,” I say gently. “You can tell me.”
She wipes her face with the back of her hand. Her voice comes out strangled. “I told him no.” She swallows. “But he did it anyway.”
Her crying grows louder, messier.
“Em,” she whispers. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to know,” I say immediately. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
She goes quiet. Her gaze drops to something off-screen. Her shoulders slump.
“I can’t leave,” she says.
My chest tightens. “What do you mean you can’t?” Panic slips into my voice. “You’re leaving him. You’re coming to Eureka Springs.”
She shakes her head. “I just… I can’t.”
I stand and start pacing across the living room. My pulse thunders in my ears as I glance down the hallway again.
Where the hell is Daisy?
The thought barely registers, my mind split between fear for her and anger for what happened to Mia.
I sit back down. “Mia,” I say, forcing my voice to steady. “What happened to you wasn’t your fault. Not even a little. And I believe you.”
Her eyes fill again.
“When you’re ready,” I continue softly, “we’ll figure out the next step together. Reporting him. Getting you out. Whatever you decide, I’m with you. But you’re not staying there alone.”
