"Colleen!" Georgia's voice cut sharply through the room when she noticed the woman still frozen in place, her face ashen.
Nick stormed in from outside, his features tight with alarm. "What happened?"
Colleen's hands shook as she pressed them against her mouth. "It's… my sister's voice," she whispered hoarsely.
Nick's jaw clenched. "And?"
Colleen's eyes darted between them, panic and grief colliding in her gaze. "The day before she died, she was restless. She left that afternoon, saying she needed to mail something to a P.O. Box. I didn't think much of it—I assumed it was paperwork for her next contract on the cruise ship.
But the very next day, she told me to pack our things… and to make sure I brought that doll." Her voice cracked, the weight of realization crashing down. "I thought it was just because my niece loved it so much. I never pressed that button. I never listened. It was the day she died from the car accident."
