When Lara’s six-year-old son calls her in the middle of the day, whispering that he’s afraid, she races home, only to find their babysitter unconscious and her past clawing its way back. As panic rises, Lara must confront the one memory she’s tried to bury: the day she and Ben found his father dead.
You don’t expect your world to tilt at 2:25 P.M. on a Friday afternoon. You expect emails. Maybe a vending machine coffee. But not your six-year-old son’s voice, whispering fear into your ear like it’s the only thing holding him together.
I’m Lara, 30, a single mom trying to keep it all together, full-time job, full-time chaos, like I’m carrying a tray of glass that’s always on the verge of tipping.
A woman sitting at her desk | Source: Midjourney
My son, Ben, is the center of my entire universe. He’s the kind of boy who doesn’t just feel his own emotions, he absorbs everyone else’s too. He’s soft-hearted, wide-eyed, and the type to bring home worms in his pockets because he didn’t want them to be lonely in the rain.
Ruby, our babysitter, is 21. She’s gentle, with a kind of calm that made Ben feel safe instantly.
A side profile of a little boy | Source: Midjourney
She’d become a part of our rhythm. She was careful with him. Attentive. Generous. Loving beyond anything. She even remembered which dinosaur phase he was in. Right now it was Allosaurus.
Ruby was my go-to. If anything came up with work, Ruby was the first person I’d call. I had no reason to doubt her.
Until Friday.
A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney
No Caller ID. A missed call. Then another.
I was reaching for my coffee when my phone lit up again, and something made me answer.
“Mommy?” Ben’s voice was so faint I barely caught it.
My whole body went rigid.
A cup of coffee on a desk | Source: Midjourney
“Ben? What’s wrong?”
There was breathing. And something else. Silence, stretched too long.
“I’m afraid,” he whispered. His voice cracked in the middle like something had split inside him.
“Where’s Ruby, baby? What’s she doing?”
“I don’t know… she was standing, and then… she wasn’t.”
A scared little boy | Source: Midjourney
My heart plummeted and my hands shook. I put the call on speaker.
“What do you mean? Is she hurt?”
“I think so. She fell. I tried to help but she won’t wake up.”
Oh, good Lord.
“Where are you right now, baby?”
A concerned woman sitting at her desk | Source: Midjourney
“I’m hiding in the closet. I didn’t know what else to do. The glass of water spilled from her hand, and she didn’t move. Her eyes were open, but not like normal.”
“Ben, stay where you are. I’m coming right now, okay? You’re not alone. Just hold on.”
I didn’t log off. I didn’t tell my boss. I just grabbed my bag and ran. Every light turned red. Every second stretched too long. I drove like I could bend time if I pushed the gas hard enough.
