I sent Olivia and Daniel to Susan's early.

The day was still young, and I decided to call Damien.

As the phone rang, I felt a surge of anxiety. I feared he might see my call and ignore it, but thankfully, he answered.

"Damien... I was hoping you might be willing to talk to me again," I said softly, trying to make my voice sound as fragile as possible.

I hoped this would work on Damien.

It seemed he was in a meeting. I heard him say a few words to someone ...