“Are you alright?” she demanded. “Have you two had a fight?” “No.” I shook my head. “Nothing like that.” “Okay.” Relief flooded her voice. “It’s half three in the morning, pet.” “I know, Mam.” I chewed on my nail anxiously. “I just…” I exhaled a pained breath. “I needed to hear your voice.” There was a long stretch of silence and I heard the ruffling of bedclothes, followed by footsteps padding. “Okay, I’m in the kitchen alone,” she said a few moments later. “Your father’s upstairs in bed. We can talk.” Trembling from head to toe, I exhaled a cracked breath. “I don’t know where to start.”
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