For a long, suspended moment that seemed to stretch far beyond reason..
Chapter 1: The Locked Breath
For a long, suspended moment, Michael could not force his body to respond. His mind rejected what his eyes were seeing, as if denial alone could undo the scene inside the cramped doghouse. Emily held Oliver tighter, her gaze fixed on him—not with relief, but with something far more complicated… hesitation.
“Emily…” Michael finally whispered, his voice breaking the silence like something fragile cracking.
But she didn’t answer.
Instead, Oliver shifted slightly, burying his face deeper into his sister’s shoulder as if the sight of their father was not comfort, but danger.
Michael stepped forward, hands shaking. “What are you doing in there? Who put you here?”
Emily’s lips parted, but no sound came out at first. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely more than air.
“Don’t let her see us.”
A cold weight dropped through Michael’s chest. “Her? Who?”
May you like
Emily flinched at the question, as if even speaking the answer might summon something worse. Before she could respond, a sound came from the house behind him—the soft creak of the back door opening.
And everything inside Michael went still again.
