The screen displayed a new message from a different unknown number.

I reached out and picked it up.

It was a PDF document.

I tapped the screen to open it.

It was a drafted settlement agreement from the Thorne family’s legal firm.

The opening paragraph listed a figure that made my breath catch in my throat.

It was more money than I had earned in my entire thirty-year career.

Beside me, Clara stirred, looking at my face.

“Mom?” she asked, noticing my expression.

“What is it?”

I stared at the glowing screen, my thumb hovering over the page.

The price of our silence was officially on the table.

And then, the front door handle began to rattle.

I stood up, sliding my phone into my back pocket.

I pushed Clara gently toward the hallway that led to the back bedrooms.

“Go inside, Clara,” I whispered. “Lock the door.”

She looked at me, her eyes wide with terror, her bruised shoulder shaking under her sweater.

She didn’t argue.

She slipped down the hall, her bare feet silent on the hardwood.