“You believe me?”
Elena looked directly into his eyes.
“I believe that something is wrong. And I’m going to find out exactly what.”
For the first time that evening, her father looked relieved.
Not because everything was fixed.
Because someone finally believed he deserved to be heard.
When they returned to the living room, Julian was sitting comfortably in his chair, scrolling through his phone.
“There you are,” he said. “I was starting to worry.”
Elena studied her brother.
Julian had always been confident. As children, he was the one who spoke first, volunteered for everything, and convinced their parents that every idea he had was brilliant.
Elena had always been the quiet one.
The observer.
The person who remembered details.
“Everything is fine,” she said.
Chloe smiled.
“I told you. He gets emotional sometimes.”
Elena sat down.
“Maybe.”
One word.
Nothing more.
Julian glanced at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
