(Esther’s Point of View)
The phone's shrill ring shattered the silence like a sharp blade .
My pulse quickened as Matthew's hand shook just a little before he answered. I couldn't miss the way his face changed, how his whole body seemed to tense when he saw the caller's name. A fleeting look—was it fear, or maybe confusion, or guilt?—crossed his face before he quickly schooled it into his usual calm.
I stood there, torn between the desperate urge to be near him, to offer solace, and the gnawing uncertainty that was already taking hold.
What was happening here, exactly? What had we turned into? And why did this phone call seem poised to destroy the delicate connection we were trying to forge?
I saw Matthew pick up the phone, his voice calm, though it seemed far away. "Hello?"
He moved
