Nina stared down at her phone in frozen shock long after the line had gone dead. The cold, mechanical hum of the smartphone screen pressed heavy against her palm, its artificial glow casting pale shadows across her trembling fingers. She stood paralyzed in the center of the grand, sunlit foyer, her breath coming in shallow gasps that echoed off the marble walls. The afternoon light streaming through the tall windows seemed almost mocking in its cheerfulness.
Was this a joke? Her mind raced in frantic loops, trying to piece together the fragmented words Claire had spat through the receiver. The woman's voice still rang in her ears, sharp and urgent in a way that felt entirely wrong… like hearing a wolf suddenly bleat like a lamb. What on earth is going on?
