She stares at the floor, unable to meet my eyes. When she finally pulls away from the doorframe, her gaze sweeps the room and lands on the wooden box on the coffee table.
“It’s the box I made you,” I begin, “for agreeing to watch Hannah so I can attend the conference.”
“I don’t want anything from you,” she snaps, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“I know,” I say quietly. “But it’s already finished. You should take it.”
“You really think I can just let this go?” she says, almost laughing—sharp, bitter.
“Here,” I say, picking up the box and gift bag from the table. “All of this belongs to you.”
“I don’t care that you’re Beth’s brother,” she says. “I never want to see you again. You hear me? Stay away from me. And tell your ex-wife that I'm not done with her yet.”
With that, she walks out the door, leaving me standing there—box and bag still in hand.
Chapter 15
Danielle
I shove open the front door and barely manage to shut it behind me before the sob catches in my throat.
“Elle?” Tina’s voice calls from the kitchen, followed by the scrape of a chair.
I drop my keys on the entryway table and press my hands to my face. I can't stop shaking.
“I lost it, Tina. I yelled at him. I shoved him.” I wave my hand through the air like I’m trying to swat the memory away. “I told him I hated him. Called him a liar. Over and over.”
“Cal?” she asks, already moving toward me. “I thought you went to the group home to talk to the director.”
“I did,” I say. “I spoke to Meghan Fletcher. Then I found out… she’s Cal’s ex-wife.”
Tina’s eyes go wide. “Wait—what?”
I nod, the words like ash on my tongue. “The woman who told him I ran away. The woman who kept me from my sister. He married her.”
Tina blinks, stunned. “Holy hell, Elle.”
“Cal said he met her when he went to check on me. He said he believed her when she told him I ran away.” I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek. “He said he thought the police were looking for me. That she was doing everything she could to find me.”
“And do you believe him?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I didn’t even give him a chance to explain.”
“The plot thickens,” she mutters. Then, more seriously, “Wait—you don’t think he was working in cahoots with Meghan, do you?”
“That’s exactly what I accused him of,” I say. “I don't know what to think anymore.”
I take a deep breath. “He tried to give me the keepsake box he made for me. And a gift bag.”
Tina tilts her head. “What was in the bag?”
“I didn’t look. I didn’t want anything from him. Not after everything. I just walked away.”
She takes my hand and gently tugs me toward the couch, sitting beside me. “So what do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “But Meghan can’t get away with this. She kept me from Izzy. She lied to everyone. She had no right.”
“No, she didn’t,” Tina agrees. “And if she’s still working with kids…”
