Evelyn's POV

I texted Cass, asking if I could take the rest of the day off. He replied almost immediately with a short “Okay, take care.”

I’d thought about going to see my dad, maybe getting some comfort from him, but the idea of him seeing my face like this, puffy, blotchy, was unbearable. He’d ask questions, and I wasn’t ready to tell him anything.

So I called an Uber and went straight home. As soon as I got inside, I went upstairs, shut my bedroom door, and locked it. The air in ...