The walls in this apartment complex were thin—too thin to keep secrets. Mrs. Alvarez, a retired nurse who lived two doors down from Cordelia, had learned to tune out the occasional late-night arguments, music blasting from young tenants, and the creak of bedsprings from lovers who thought the world revolved around them.
But what she heard tonight wasn’t something she could dismiss.
The first sound was a dull thud—like furniture being overturned. She had paused mid-knitting, frowning at the sound. It wasn’t uncommon for people to drop things, but the following noise… that had her heart squeezing.
A cry. Muffled. Choked. Followed by another slam against the wall.
Mrs. Alvarez’s eyes widened, and she set down her yarn. Her hearing wasn’t what it used to be, but she knew pain when she hear
