Chapter 7: A Sister’s Voice
The phone rang three times before a groggy, bewildered voice answered on the other end. “Clara? Do you know what time it is?”
Hearing Sarah’s voice broke the fragile dam Clara had built around her emotions. A sob escaped her throat before she could stop it, shattering the artificial calm she had maintained all morning.
“Clara? Oh my god, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Sarah’s sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by sharp, alert concern. “Is it Mark?”
“He cleaned out the account, Sarah,” Clara choked out, turning her back so Lily wouldn't see her crying again. “We left last night. We’re in a motel in Oakhaven. I have three dollars to my name, and Noah needs formula.”
There was a tense silence on the line, followed by the rustle of bedsheets and the distant sound of a door closing as Sarah moved to a quieter room. When Sarah spoke again, her voice was hard and fierce. “Listen to me very carefully. Do not go back to that house, and do not answer his calls. Pack up the girls and drive north. Don't worry about money for gas—I’m sending a transfer to your phone right now through the app. You can use it at any ATM in town.”
“Sarah, I can’t take your money. I don't want to be a burden—”
“Shut up, Clara. We are sisters, and you have a newborn baby and a five-year-old child sitting in a fleabag motel room. Drive north. My apartment is small, but the fold-out couch is comfortable, and there’s a spare room for the girls. We’ll figure out the rest when you get here.”
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The call disconnected with a soft click, leaving Clara staring at the screen as a text notification popped up a moment later confirming a cash transfer of three hundred dollars. A profound sense of relief washed over her, so intense it made her knees weak. She sank onto the edge of the bed, pressing her face into her hands as silent tears of gratitude finally fell.
Twenty minutes later, armed with cash from the nearby gas station ATM, Clara bought formula, diapers, and warm breakfast sandwiches for them to eat on the road. By mid-morning, they were packed back into the sedan, heading north toward the safety of Seattle, leaving Mark and the horrors of the kitchen behind them.
