Susanna
My hands were clasped so tightly together in my lap that the bones ached. The skin had gone pale and bloodless from the pressure, but I couldn’t bring myself to loosen my grip. Every part of me was trembling; my fingers, my jaw, even the muscles in my thighs. I sat there frozen in the back of the car as Reginald parked outside the station. No one moved even though we had arrived at our destination, not me, not Florence.
The silence was suffocating.
Reginald turned in his seat, his face calm, but I could see the flicker of discomfort in his eyes as he glanced between us. He saw the dread twisted into every inch of my posture, the way I kept blinking rapidly, trying to chase away the tears that wouldn’t stop pooling.
“Ma’am,” he said softly, “just wait here for a moment. I’ll go in and speak to the officers first and make the necessary arrangements.”
I nodded once but he was already getting out, the door closing behind him with a solid thunk.
As soon as he was gone, Florence shi
