Elias tightened his jaw.
- “I said leave.”
Talia picked up her tote with trembling hands.
Margaret blocked the doorway.
- “Talia, wait downstairs.”
But Talia shook her head.
- “No, Mrs. Carter.”
Her voice was quiet.
Wounded.
Dignified.
- “I know when I’m not wanted.”
She walked past Elias.
As she reached the door, Harper made a sound.
Tiny.
Broken.
Almost too soft to hear.
But everyone heard it.
Talia stopped.
Elias stopped breathing.
Harper’s lips parted.
Her eyes moved toward the doorway.
Her fingers opened weakly in the air.
And then, in a voice rough from eighteen months of silence, Harper whispered one word.
- “Ta…lia.”
The room went utterly still.
Talia turned around.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
