Page 30 of Insidious

It was the smallest movement, barely noticeable, but I saw it. It feels like a punch to the ribs.

“I’m just—” I stop, hands hovering uselessly in the air. “I was just trying to help.”

No response.

She angles herself away, shoulders turned just enough that I can’t see her properly. Like she is … hiding from me.

And it—

God, it hurts in a way I don’t even have words for.

I want to ask her what is wrong.

Suddenly, I want to shake her, to beg her, to reach her somehow.

But she looks so tired. There are purple crescents of exhaustion under her eyes. She looks so fragile.

So, I swallow my words and my hurt.

“I made breakfast,” I say instead, my voice sounding distant, even to my own ears. “It’s on the table.” Nothing. “I packed sandwiches for lunch,” I add. “They’re in the box. You just need to toast them.”

Still nothing.

I stand here for a second longer, shifting from one foot to the other, hoping for something.

A nod. A word. A glance.

And finally …

“Thank you,” she whispers.

***

As I turn into the street, my hands are shaking on the wheel. There is an ambulance outside, the lights flashing.

Lily doesn’t panic. She handles things calmly.

If she was scared enough to call me like that—

Something is wrong. Very wrong. God, my Luna!

I barely remember parking. The front door is wide open, the handle splintered.

And Lily is standing just inside, rocking Amelie in her arms.

Her face is wet, her eyes red and swollen—

I’ve never seen her look like that.

“Where is she?” I ask, already moving past her.

“In the bathroom,” she says quickly. “Isaac—”

But I’m already gone. My pulse is pounding in my ears. My chest feels tight.

A single, terrifying thought loops over and over—

Please let her be okay.