…Present Day…

THE room was thick with silence, only pierced by Claire's sobbing. Her shoulders trembled as though she carried the weight of an avalanche, her palms pressed against her wet face. Amelia stood frozen, her chest heaving, eyes red not from tears but from the storm of betrayal tearing through her insides. Mrs. Harlow sat on the edge of the couch, wringing her hands, her face pale and stricken with regret, as though every line on her skin suddenly carried the weight of all her past mistakes.

"Big sis…" Claire's voice cracked, broken, barely audible over her own weeping. She lifted her face, streaked with shame. "I'm sorry. I...