It felt like a trap had snapped shut around my ankle. Even in death, that man was forcing me to deal with his mess, dragging me back into the nightmare I fought so hard to escape. Tears spilled over my cheeks again, and I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes, groaning in frustration.
My head snapped up as I wiped my eyes. “I need to call myrealdad. He handles estate law all the time and can help us figure this shit out. He’ll know how to keep me away from it.”
I reached for the cracked phone in Silas’s hand, but he pulled it back, shaking his head.
“I got it,” he said firmly, his eyes full of a tight protectiveness.
Dialing my dad’s number, he put the phone on speaker, resting it on the mattress between us. It rang exactly twice before the deep, warm voice of my actual father filled the room.
“Callum, my boy! Good morning! To what do I owe the pleasure of a call this early? You and Silas alright?”
Hearing the love in David’s voice compared to the coldness in Fiona’s broke my heart in the most beautiful way possible.
“Hey, David. It’s Silas.”
David instantly clocked the somber tone, his voice dropping into a focused register. “Silas? What’s wrong, son? You sound tense.”
Silas quickly explained everything that had just happened. When he finished, there was a heavy silence on the other end of the line. We stared at each other, eyes full of concern, and leaned closer to the phone, waiting.
“Callum, I love you. I am so incredibly sorry she called you, and I am so sorry that any of this is happening to you today.”
I let out a shaky sob, reaching out to grip Silas’s hand. “I don’t want to deal with this, Dad.”
“You don’t have to. Not alone. I am your legal counsel, but more importantly, I’m your father. I will stand between you and this mess. The best thing we can do right now is to have you and Silas come home to Philly. We’ll sit down in my office and figure out exactly what paperwork we need to file to get this disposed of as quickly and painlessly as possible.”
Silas squeezed my hand, a silent show of support.
“Okay.” I took in the first real breath since my phone rang. “We’ll come to Philly. I’ll, uhh… I’ll call Tate and see if the office will give me any kind of bereavement leave.” A fraction of weight lifted off my chest knowing David was taking the wheel.
“Alright. Call me the minute you land. I love you both. And Silas?”
“Yeah?”
“Text me the number Fiona called from,” David ordered, his tone turning to cold steel. “I’ll inform her not to reach out to you again. If there’s anything else she feels she needs to discuss, she can speak directly to me. She lost the right to speak tomy sona long time ago.”
I closed my eyes, the tears falling silently now, overwhelmed with gratitude for the family that had chosen me.
20
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Now playing: Praying - Kesha
Thefirstfifteenminutesof the drive once we landed in Philly were consumed by a heavy silence. I stared out the window at the passing trees, watching the familiar landmarks of my youth blur past like a countdown running through my brain. I knew what was coming. Walking into David’s office to handle Ewan’s estate meant I was going to have to crack open a vault I had sealed shut with steel and concrete over a decade and a half ago. And there was no way I could survive the memories without Silas to anchor me.
“Si?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“First, do you mind if we stay at the Donovans’ house instead of our place?” I asked. Our vacation house was the beautiful, modern home I bought in Philly a few years ago. It was where we usually stayed when we visited the city, a quiet, private sanctuary. But right now, the thought of quiet terrified me. I wanted to be surrounded by my parents and sisters. I needed the noise. I needed the safety net.
Silas didn’t hesitate. He reached across the center console, taking my hand and pulling it to his lips. “Of course not. We’re going straight to David and Cindy’s. Whatever you need.”
With a slow, jagged breath, my fingers tightened around his. “And second… I think we should talk.”
Silas immediately reached over and turned the radio off, giving me his undivided attention. His eyes stayed on the road, but I saw the way his shoulders tensed. “Okay, I’m listening.”
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like it was lined with sandpaper. “I never really elaborated on what it was like…before David and Cindy took me in. I’ve told you the bare minimum because, in my mind, it had already happened. There was no changing the past. I survived it. I got out. Talking about it just gave him power. But…you’re going to hear things over the next few days, and I want you to hear the truth from me first.”
