One Call Away Emily Goodwin Novels & Stories

Night had fallen by the time Emily made the international call. She sat by the bedroom window, the city lights behind her casting long shadows across the floor. The world outside was quiet, stilled in twilight, but halfway across the globe, it was morning already—sunlight pouring over distant vineyards and limestone hills. She dialed the number listed at the bottom of the wine estate’s emails, her fingers steady despite the thrum in her chest. A few rings. Then a woman’s voice—warm, polished, with the faintest trace of a European accent—answered.

Back at the house Richard suddenly felt that something was not right. Emily hasn’t called back after all the missed calls she had received from him. What really surprised him even more was that when he tried to call her a few minutes back her phone couldn’t be reached. It is that something happened to her? He wondered He didn’t know her that well but from the few weeks they have been together he had heard her mentioning someone by the name Mira and that she worked in the Davis corporation in public relations department.

Without hesitation, she declined the call. However, the phone rang again. And again. Caleb’s cold voice cut through the air. "Answer it. Maybe it’s something important." With trembling fingers, Emily accepted the call, and a man’s gruff voice filled the room. "When the hell are you paying me the rest of my money? That woman’s been dead for months." As Emily’s face turned ashen, her hand that clutched the phone shook uncontrollably. "Y-You’ve got the wrong number," she stammered, moving to hang up, but Caleb’s grip on her wrist stopped her.

"My name is Peter. I am phoning from CallCom and I see here on our system that you are one of our valued pre-paid customers. "Yes?" Emily's voice is a little sceptical. "Emily, you might have seen on television and heard on the radio that CallCom will be giving away an amazing prize to celebrate our fifth birthday. Two million dollars is up for grabs!" "Yes," said Emily again. But it doesn't click for me if she really heard about it. "By the end of today, Emily, you could be the owner of that money. Just imagine what you can do with it. A new home, a new car. Clothes for the family. How does that sound?"

It was the article that would make my career. I press delete. The screen goes blank. I was done with him. My phone buzzes on the desk. It's an unknown number. I usually don’t answer those; if Kevin wants something, he will come out of his office. I’m about to ignore it, but my curiosity got the best of me. “Emily Carter,” I say. There’s a pause on the other end, a silence I feel in my bones. “If you are not going to talk, then I have to hang up,” I felt a chill run down my spine. Something is telling me to end this call. “Emily, have you seen the news?”

- - - *EMILY CALLOWAY* Emily stared at her phone in her hand as she waited for her son’s best friend to pick up his phone. “The number you’re are trying to call is not answering, please try again later, thank you.” The automated voice replied as the call ended itself. Emily groaned throwing her phone back on the bed as it landed close to the pictures that were spread out on the bed covers. On each picture, was her ex-husband, Javan Roswell. The frown on Emily’s face deepened as she stared at the pictures mainly focusing on one in which Javan was with a woman, in the middle of a dance floor at a club that she wouldn’t fail to recognize anyway.

She kept tagging me in all the post. Then I saw her incoming call. I quickly picked it up. “Baby I had a good time today at the park…it was really scanty but your parents made it lively..” then I couldn’t hear her again. I heard what sounded like a thud. I heard whimpers, “what is going on?” I asked. No response. I quickly sped up car… Emily’s POV I was on call with Stanley. I did not pay attention to the door since I was the person that locked up.

I was lounging at home, scrolling through social media, when a livestream title suddenly caught my eye—"The Other Woman Crash Course." Curious, I entered to see a woman talking animatedly, "My sugar daddy gives me 200,000 every month. I just need to keep him satisfied!" Viewers were doubtful and asked, "I don't believe you. Tell us how you two met." She smiled. "That's alright. You don't get to meet someone like that every day. I met him after doing a bone marrow transplant with his girlfriend three years ago. That's how I met this golden bachelor." I frowned. I had a bone marrow transplant three years ago too. Suddenly, the door opened, and she covered her phone in panic. A man's deep

"What if something else is not going on?" "Such as what? I think we've covered our bases," said Alex, arms folded. "One-on-ones with local leaders, workshops, and even linking with charities. We are on the right track." Emily sighed, internal commotion. "I just... have this feeling that something big is going to happen, something for which we will not be prepared." Just then, her phone started swelling with an intensity that threatened to bounce off the table. Glancing at the screen, her heart skipped when she saw there was a call from an unknown number.

It was Aaron. She didn’t need to guess—he was definitely calling to explain that media scandal from earlier. She could already hear the excuses: “I don’t know how that photo was taken,” “There’s nothing between me and Amelia…” Disgusting. Theo noticed the caller ID too. He glanced down. “Want me to handle that?” “No need.” Emily shook her head. “I’ve got nothing to say to him.” Theo watched her power off the phone without hesitation. Her things were mostly unpacked now.