His eyes filled with the fearful expression children get when they’re trying to carry something far too heavy for them.
Then he shook his head.
“I promised.”
That was enough.
Every instinct inside me wanted to pull him into my arms and
demand to know everything.
Another part of me wanted to run down the hallway and confront Melissa immediately.
But I forced myself to breathe.
If Ethan was afraid of her, I couldn’t let her know he had spoken to me.
So I tried to act normal.
I walked back into the living room.
Melissa was putting on her coat.
Her dark hair was already tied back, and her purse sat on the console table near the front door.
“I’m taking Ethan to the park,” she said with a smile.
Her voice sounded casual.
But something about the way she looked at me made me uneasy.
It was as if she were watching me too closely.
“No,” I said.
The word came out sharper than I intended.
Melissa stopped.
I softened my voice, even though my chest felt tight.
“I think we’ll stay home today.”
For the first time since I
had known her, her smile disappeared.
Completely.
Her face went blank, and the warmth vanished so quickly that for a moment I wondered whether I had imagined it.
“Is he sick?” she asked.
“No. I just want him home.”
She stared at me for another second.
Then, without saying anything else, she picked up her purse and walked outside.
The door closed behind her.
I hurried to the window and pulled the curtain aside by less than an inch.
Melissa crossed the lawn.
She got into her car.
But instead of driving away, she parked across the street.
Then she turned the engine off.
She remained behind the wheel.
That was when I knew something was seriously wrong.
My hands began to shake.
I called the police.
I moved into the kitchen so Ethan wouldn’t hear every word.
