—Honey, calm down. Did you hear something? Someone…?
Lily grabbed my wrist. Her hand was damp with sweat.
“Mommy, please,” she said, her voice breaking. “I heard Daddy on the phone last night. He said he’s already left, and that today is when he’s coming. He said… he said we won’t be here when he’s finished.”
The blood drained from my face so quickly that I felt dizzy.
“Who were you talking to?” I asked, but the question barely came out.
Lily swallowed, her eyes darting nervously around the room as if she expected the walls to listen.
—A man. Daddy said, “Make sure it looks like an accident.” And then he laughed.
For a second, my brain tried to dismiss it. Derek and I had fights, sure. Money stress. His temper. His habit of calling me “dramatic” when I asked him about the hours he lost on business trips. But this …
I didn’t allow myself to think it through. Thinking was slow. Lily’s fear was fast.
“Okay,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm so as not to scare her more. “We’re leaving. Right now.”
