Grace's hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

The tiny room felt smaller with every passing minute, as if the walls were inching closer, trying to crush the air out of her lungs. A flickering overhead bulb buzzed like an insect trapped in amber, casting jagged shadows across the floor. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was full with dread.

She paced across the cracked linoleum floor, her phone gripped tightly in one hand like a lifeline. The other hand kept curling and uncurling against her ...