NORA
The silence on the other end of the line lingers so long that I think the call might have dropped.
"Daddy?" I whisper again, my voice cracking.
He exhales heavily. "Nora, sweetheart... I can't do this over the phone. Come home tomorrow morning. We'll sit down properly—your mother and I. There are things you need to hear face to face."
My knees feel weak. I lean harder against the wall paneling, the safe mocking me from the corner of my eye. "But I need to know now. Please. I'm losing my mind here."
"I know, sweetheart. I know." His voice softens. It's the same tone he often used to comfort me whenever I had nightmares. "Just... hold on until tomorrow. Okay?"
Tears blur my vision. I didn't even know who Rachel Gregory was until that night of the wedding. I'd only overheard Mum an
