Chapter 88: A phone call

It took Patrick an hour to get home from his conversation with his best friend. Without seeing his mother or grandma, he went upstairs to his room. When he returned, he was relieved they were not in the living room.

After nearly three hours of his return, Phina called him. He felt guilty for not checking in with her to see if she had gotten home.

He had been preoccupied with trying to find a way to avoid thinking about his family issues.

Her voice boomed over the phone, "Hello."

The mere sound of her voice caused a smile to curl across his face. After only a few hours, he was already missing her, and it still surprised him that he might feel this way.

However, in a beautiful way, naturally.

Whenever he heard her voice, it made him feel something—a sense of contentment and belonging.

He honestly apologized, saying, "Hello, I'm sorry I didn't call you. Something came up, though it's not an excuse, so I'm sorry."