[CASSIE]
A few minutes later, we’re sitting on the couch. Rhys is next to me, trying to adjust to the atmosphere. My father’s family sits across from us. We are not really welcomed here.
I’ve learned that I have two half-brothers, and two half-sisters. James, the oldest, is here with his wife and kid. Anna, the youngest daughter, is here too. She might be a few years older than Evie, which unsettles me. My father’s wife, Isobel, hasn’t stopped crying. Anna holds her close, gently rubbing her hand over her back asking her not to cry.
The silence is odd. I find myself pulling at the frayed threads of my scarf. No one knows what to say. They just keep staring at me like I’m something strange, something they don’t know how to handle.
“How did it happen?” James finally asks.
Rhys draws i
