Rachel stood frozen with her breath caught in her throat as her eyes struggled to focus on the figure standing under the dim light.
Her heart raced until a loud, angry voice thundered through the living room, and said, "Young lady, look at the time you're coming home!"
Her chest tightened.
That voice—she would know it anywhere.
"Grandma?" she whispered with disbelief etching across her face.
From the shadows, Erica stepped forward with her gown brushing the marble floor.
Her expression was hard with her posture unyielding, as if she carried the weight of the world.
She stopped in front of Rachel, and with her sharp gaze piercing straight through her, she stared at her for a long moment without saying a word.
The air around Rachel seemed to freeze, and her lips parted as she gasped softly with shock etching across her face.
