(Esther’s Point of View)
The message stayed on my screen long after the light faded that day.
Your mother never told you the full story.
My fingers felt cold as I lowered the phone on the table.Matthew was still in the other room, his voice low, steady, careful. I could tell he was trying to sound calm for whoever was on the line, but I knew him too well now. That tight pause between words meant he was fighting something inside.
I walked toward him.
He ended the call the moment he saw my face.
“What is it,” he asked.
I held up my phone. “Someone just texted me.”
His eyes darkened as he read the message. He didn’t speak right away. He rubbed his jaw, then looked at me again.
“They’re trying to scare you,” he said.
“Maybe,” I replied. “But they chose the one thing that would stop m
