Chapter 72. Family Dinner

The sudden vibration of Camila’s phone against the polished mahogany coffee table startled her from the quiet cocoon she had built around herself. The novel resting in her hands slipped slightly as she glanced down at the screen, her brow furrowing the instant she read the message. It was from her father—short, clipped, and devoid of warmth.

Come home now. Urgent.

“Urgent?” she murmured, the word tasting strange on her tongue. Her fingers tightened around the phone as she stared at the screen for another second, half-expecting the message to change or clarify itself. It didn’t. A familiar unease crept up her spine, slow and deliberate, as she set the book aside and rose from the plush sofa.

Concern propelled her movements as she reached for her coat and keys, her usually meticulous routine abandoned in favor of speed. Her mind raced ahead of her actions, spin