“Sweetheart, hi.” Nina tried to sound cheerful, but everything inside her was shaking. She missed her terribly—desperately.“How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Daphne replied coldly, detached. As if she wasn’t even glad to hear from her.“How about you?”
“I…” Nina stumbled.“I’m okay.”
Had Daphne really not noticed her disappearance? Had she not worried when she couldn’t reach her?
“Dad said you had another breakdown.”
Nina clenched her teeth until her jaw ached. So that was the story now.
“There was no breakdown,” she snapped. He was lying to their daughter.
Silence on the other end, but Nina felt her daughter’s irritation.
“Mom, you really should take better care of your health. Maybe you should’ve stayed in the hospital longer.”
“What?”
“I don’t want you losing it in front of my boyfriend or my friends one day.”
Pain struck instantly, as if the ground had dropped out from under her. She’d always supported her daughter in everything, protected her, denied her nothing, given her everything. Daphne had been the meaning of her life. And this was what she received in return.
“You—” Her voice broke, something clenched in her chest.“Are you ashamed of me, Daphne?”
“Mom…” Daphne sighed, and there was so much cold irritation in that sound that it made Nina flinch.“I just pray that no one ever finds out my mom is crazy.”
“What did you say?” Nina couldn’t force the word out.
“That’s why I moved to the other end of the country, Mom. I’ll call you later.”
She had actually said it. This wasn’t a dream, not a hallucination, not some monstrous nightmare. This was reality, and it was shattering her heart. Nina couldn’t believe those words had come from her daughter’s mouth.
The phone felt like dead weight in her hand as Daphne’s words echoed in her head again and again.
“I pray that no one ever finds out my mom is crazy.”
“That’s why I moved to the other end of the country, Mom.”
It felt like a knife to her heart.
The phone rang again, making Nina flinch when she saw the name.
Robert Stanfield.
Her fingers trembled as she answered.
“Nina!” His voice was sharp, agitated, furious.“Where the hell have you been? Why weren’t you answering your phone?!”
She stayed silent for a moment, pulling herself together.
“Robert… what happened?”
“That bastard of yours pulled a stunt while you were gone that still turns my stomach.”
She froze.
“What… what did he do?”
