Chapter 4

My hands shook as I dialed Jared's number, Emma's lifeless body still burned into my vision. The rescue team had covered her with a white sheet, but I could still see her small fingers clutching that heart-shaped stone. My throat felt raw from screaming, from sobbing, from three hours of calling her name into the silence.

The phone rang once. Twice. On the third ring, Jared's voice came through, casual and irritated.

"What now, Valeria? I told you we're dealing with an emergency here. Muffin might have internal bleeding."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. How do…