A low roll of thunder drifted across the neighborhood, so distant it almost sounded like a truck on the highway. Avery barely noticed. She stood in the middle of the living room, every muscle tight, while her father held her phone in one hand.
It looked so ordinary.
Just a phone.
But in that moment it felt like every secret she'd been carefully protecting had somehow ended up in his hands.
The room smelled faintly of rain blowing in through the cracked window and the coffee he'd reheated hours ago. The grandfather clock ticked steadily in the corner. Too steadily. It made the silence feel even heavier.
Her father looked up.
"You've been sneaking out."
His voice wasn't loud.
That almost made it worse.
"Meeting him late at night. Climbing onto that roof."
He exhaled slowly, rubbing
