Chapter 2 - THE TIME
Michael frowned.
“What?”
Emily pointed at the wall clock.
“What time did I throw the phone?”
Vanessa snapped:
“Don’t play games.”
Emily looked at Michael.
“Ask her.”
Michael did.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“About ten minutes ago.”
Emily nodded slowly.
“Then ask her why she texted you at 4:12 that I already smashed it.”
Silence.
Michael pulled out his phone.
Vanessa moved toward him.
“Michael—”
He stepped away and opened their message thread.
4:12 p.m.
VANESSA:
Emily had another episode. She smashed her phone after I told her she couldn’t go out tonight. I’m handling it. Don’t call right now because she’s escalating.
Michael looked at the current time.
4:27.
He had walked through the door at 4:25.
Emily’s phone had been intact less than two minutes before that.
He knew because the shattered screen had briefly lit when Vanessa stomped it.
Michael looked at Vanessa.
“You told me fifteen minutes ago that she broke a phone that wasn’t broken yet.”
Vanessa blinked.
“I wrote it after she threatened to.”
“That’s not what the message says.”
“She was going to.”
Michael stared.
Emily said:
“She always writes the story first.”
Vanessa turned on her.
“Shut up.”
Michael’s head snapped toward Vanessa.
“Don’t talk to her like that.”
Vanessa looked stunned.
For months Michael had been saying:
Listen to Vanessa.
Stop escalating.
Tell the truth.
Now his tone changed.
Emily saw it.
That was why she finally risked saying more.
“She has a folder.”
Vanessa went still.
Michael asked:
“What folder?”
May you like
Emily swallowed.
“The one about me.”
