Chapter 7

After shutting off my phone, I tried to keep sorting through my files, but my fingers wouldn't stop shaking. In my last life, a call like that would have sent me running straight to the hospital, no questions asked.

But now? I was almost certain Mom was just pretending to be sick. She always pulled this stunt whenever she wanted me to cave.

At one in the morning, my phone powered on by itself, and a message from Dariel popped up: [Mom's fine. The doctor said it's just a mild angina attack. She just needs to stay overnight for observation.…