Tucked in tightly on the overstuffed office chair, Gabriella balled with arms braced tightly around her legs, head bowed at her knees, to stop from shaking when Grace finally walked into her office at 9 am. Startled to see her hidden away from the world, Grace moved instantly to her side, rubbing her arm when she noticed Gabriella’s red, withdrawn eyes look up at her.
When she didn’t say anything, Grace implored, “Is all this about the fight your father had with your in-laws last night?”
Gabriella shook her head, but then nodded slightly, undecided which event was biting at her sanity in that very moment. A lottery of incidents over the past twenty-four hours each took turns holding the blade that gruelingly twisted the insides of her stomach.
Grace pulled another chair
