He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees.

“Mom is losing her mind,” he said. “The country club suspended her membership because of the reporters hanging around.”

“She brought that on herself by trying to control us,” I said.

“She thinks you did this to ruin her,” Derek said.

“I did it to tell the truth,” I replied.

He stared at me for a long moment, then stood up.

“There are things you don’t know, Sarah,” he said.

“What things?”

He turned toward the door, hesitating.

“Just be careful,” he said. “She isn’t going to let this go.”

He walked out before I could ask another question.

The glass door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone in the silent office.

I sat back down at my desk, my mind racing.

I picked up my phone to call Priya, but stopped.

The screen was dark.

Then, it buzzed in my hand.

An unknown number was calling.

I hesitated, then swiped to answer.

“Sarah?”

The voice was faint, almost a whisper, but I recognized it instantly.

It was my father, Arthur.