I clasped my hands tightly in my lap, trying to keep them from trembling. My chest rose and fell too fast. Every second that passed without news of Lilly felt like a lifetime.
Then my phone rang again.
I snatched it up before the second ring. “Mom?”
Her sobs came through the line, sharp and uneven. “Yes… yes, I called the police.”
“Have they started searching?” I asked quickly, my voice almost a shout.
“They said… they said they’ll only start after twenty-four hours,” she cried.
The words struck like a slap. My heart dropped straight to my stomach. “What? Twenty-four hours? Do they not understand this is a k********g case?” I yelled, unable to contain myself. My breath hitched, my vision blurred.
Dominic’s eyes flicked toward me for a moment but stayed silent.
On the other end, my
