Amber
The second we got back from court, I wanted nothing more than to collapse. My body hurt. My brain hurt. My heart? That was a special kind of mess I couldn’t even begin to sort through yet.
Evalie was with Ken in the living room, watching cartoons. I didn’t even have the strength to kiss her forehead. I just told her I needed a nap, and she nodded, already busy laughing at whatever chaos the animated characters were getting up to.
So I slipped into my room and melted into the bed. Eyes closed. Breathing steady. I could still smell the courtroom somehow, that cold, sterile scent of wood polish and tension. My pillow smelled better—lavender detergent and the faintest trace of Ichika’s favorite room spray.
And then… my phone buzzed.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Still ignored.
But it buzzed again. Then again. And again.
With a groan, I reached for it, heart starting to pound a little with every ring. The number was unfamiliar, just a string of digits I didn’t recognize. But somethi
