“What does he want from me?”
She squeezed my hand.
“If you find out, sweetheart, you might never forgive me.”
That night, my mother passed away without explaining another word.
Three days after the funeral, Robert called.
“Emily, come to my house tonight. There’s something we need to do together.”
“Can’t we talk over the phone?”

“No, sweetheart. This is something I’ve waited years for. And don’t tell anyone you’re coming.”
My stomach tightened.
But I needed answers.
At seven that evening, I knocked on his door.
Robert greeted me wearing an expensive shirt and his usual confident smile.
“There’s my beautiful girl.”
For the first time, those words made me uncomfortable.
The moment I stepped inside, he closed the door and turned the lock.
“Why did you lock it?”
He ignored my question.
Instead, he grabbed both my hands and moved toward me until my back touched the wall.