Sunday arrived heavy and thick, as though the world held its breath. The air inside the lake house was suffocating. Time dragged cruelly, another weight pressing down on Sierra’s chest each hour.
She woke early, her sheets damp with sweat. Her mother’s words whispered in her mind like poison: By Sunday night, Sierra. The truth or the box opens.
She thought she might vomit from fear.
The Long Day
The morning passed in brittle silence. Vanessa moved through the kitchen in her robe, humming softly, setting the coffee pot like it was any other day. Damien sat at the table with his tablet, his posture unnervingly calm.
Sierra sat in between, her hands wrapped tightly around her mug, her eyes on the table.
“Beautiful day,” Vanessa said, smiling. “We should enjoy it. Perhaps a family dinner
