Chapter FourNot long after James had left with Sarah, Charlie began to fuss in Rebecca’s arms, seeming to instinctively recognise that part of her family was missing. Rebecca paced from the living room to the kitchen, crossing the short span so many times that she knew Anica had started checking surreptitiously for a trough in the timber floor. The feelings of helplessness and anxiety clashed viciously, creating an internal maelstrom that refused to allow any offers of comfort. With her parents stuck in the middle of a hostile city, and the realisation that she was unable to do anything to physically assist her husband or her sister, Rebecca was left with a hopelessness that threatened to smother her.
A car alarm sounded in the adjacent street and she jumped violently, startling a surpris
