Chapter 52

Caroline’s Point of View

Time sit still when Dolly's presence is all over the house. I sit on the couch, flipping through a book, attempting to ignore the rising tension in the house. She’s been oddly quiet today, which is more unsettling than her usual antics.

Then, as if on cue, her heels clack against the floor, a deliberate announcement of her arrival. She steps into the room with a smug smile, her hand resting lightly on her ever-growing belly.

“Oh, Caroline,” she says in that overly sweet voice of hers, “you’ll never believe what I found while organizing my things.”

I glance up from my book, already dreading whatever nonsense she’s about to spew. “What is it this time, Dolly?”

She holds up an old, slightly worn photograph. “Look at this!” she exclaims, walking closer to shove it in my face. “It’s from homecoming. Do you remember, Knoxx? You took me to prom that year. It was such a magical night.”

Knoxx, who’s sitting in the adjacent chair, barely looks up from his laptop. “Hmm,”