Sophia’s P.O.V

I sat on the couch beside Vee, both of us frozen in place, like moving might make everything crash down again. My hands were tightly clasped in my lap, and I didn’t even realize how hard I was gripping them until Vee reached over and gently tried to relax my fingers.

Across the room, Edmund stood with the police officer he had called, their voices low but tense enough that every word seeped into my bones.

“So there was nothing?” Edmund asked, sounding ...