บท 88: No Way Out

Natalie froze in her spot, her eyes wide, tears welling at the corners as the weight of Avery's words hit her. She tried to blink them away, but the turmoil etched across her face made Avery regret bringing up the past. She shouldn't have said anything. Not now. Not when Natalie was already going through a shit. 

"Is… Is he sick, Mom?" Emily's voice broke the silence in the room. The girl who had been fuming moments earlier now seemed small, her bravado replaced with uncertainty. Her eyes darted nervously between her mother and Avery, seeking answers in the space where there were none.

Natalie's head snapped up, her eyes wide with a mix of panic and desperation. "No!" she answered too quickly, her denial sharp and brittle. The word lingered in the air, false and hollow. She tried to catch herself, her fingers trembling as she wrapped her arms around her body, as if to shield herself from the truth.