The automated voice coming through Jared's phone made him frown. He tried calling back right away, but the line wouldn't connect at all.
He opened his chat with Gloria, thought it over, and decided to soften his tone this time.
Jared: Leila and I have worked it out. I'll send her abroad once the baby's born, and she'll never show up in front of you again. Is that okay?
The message sat there undelivered. Jared stared at the screen. Gloria had never blocked him before. Not once. He refused to believe it at first, writing it off as a bad signal. But when he fired off a few more messages, every one of them sat there undelivered too. He called her again, and every attempt only got the same automated message saying the call couldn't be connected.
A faint, nagging unease settled in the pit of
