POV: Yessica | Location: Edinburgh
She called him back immediately.
He answered on the first ring. Like he'd been holding the phone.
"Dad."
"Yessica." His voice was different from Wednesday. Wednesday he'd sounded cornered. This morning he sounded tired in a deeper way — not the exhaustion of a man under pressure, but the exhaustion of someone who had been carrying something for a long time and had finally decided to put it down.
"What didn't you tell me?" she said.
A breath.
"Catherine didn't approach me through an intermediary," he said. "I told you that on Wednesday. It wasn't true."
Yessica sat down.
"She contacted me directly?"
"In August. Six weeks after you arrived in Edinburgh." A pause. "I know. I should have told you immediately. I told myself I was protecting you from
