Chapter 4

My phone vibrated against the nightstand, jolting me from a fitful sleep. The name on the screen made my stomach clench—Noemi. I almost declined the call, but something stopped me. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was the desperate need to understand how my sister could have betrayed me so completely.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice deliberately neutral.

"Delilah." Noemi's voice came through weak and breathy, punctuated by small gasps that made her sound like she was struggling for air. "I needed to talk to you."

I sat up in bed, pulling the covers around me like armor. "What…