for the sake of peace.
At 12:06 a.m., while the twins finally slept, I called the attorney Cole believed I’d abandoned.
Daniel Harris answered on the fourth ring.
“Lauren?”
We hadn’t spoken in nearly eleven months.
“Mr. Harris.”
His tone changed.
“What happened?”
I glanced toward the nursery and my bruised wrist.
“Activate the emergency clause.”
Silence.
Not disbelief or hesitation.
The silence of someone recognizing the seriousness of a decision.
“Are you absolutely certain?”
I looked at Sierra’s necklace, Cole’s photograph, and the fading fingerprints beneath my
