nce room. The hum of the projector fan sou

k the pen. The metal wa

hest. She tapped her foot against the floo

of their gazes on her neck. They thought she was broken. They thought she

turned to her as he dressed for a gala she wasn't invited to. Don't

ce as a defect, not

rip on the p

e opened

with a loud clatter, rolling to the edge and

shocking in

up, Gerr

years, she didn't look at the floor, or her hands, or

onstricted into sharp points of focus. The vacan

ately, Calleigh

left t

as if to physically force Call

her feet shifted, balancing her weight. If Joan touched

stood up, her chair scraping screeching

e signed a single word in American Sign Language. Her fingers formed

wy

e, as if the gesture had escaped her against her will. She immediately dropped h

You don't even have a bank account that I can't see. Yo

e turned on her heel and walked toward th

xit. You can't leave unti

tapping the face of her smartwatch three times

was

the Lloyd family's private security firm-

blazer, a phone began to

ng at the caller ID. It was

barked int

ing unlawful confinement. GPS puts her at your location. NYPD is bein

oked at Calleigh, who was stan

chiatric report on the table... the scandal would be catastrophic. Heinri

Gerri hiss

confused, but

he door open. She

ice shrill with anger, and you are declaring war on t

hit the elevator button. She jabbed

he stepped in and hamm

red wall. Her legs gave out, and she slid down to the floor, b

it. She had

e clock wa

ed herself to stand. She smoothed her dress, wi

ned the door t

lleigh

a yellow taxi. It was an act of rebellion so pedestrian, so

climbed into the backseat, the vinyl

er asked, eyeing her thr

ket in her dress lining. A burner. She typed a messa

ult, T

ed the taxi merge into traffic f

Dr. Evans. Sta

t sign, Dr. E

e the egg retrieval for next week

e psych report to the press tonight, she said. By tomorrow morning, she'll

the contact lenses from her eyes. She blinke

er phone. A mes

my

ty blur by. She wasn't Calleigh the mute wife anymore. She w