Chapter 13
Alexandra
It was past midnight in Boston and Alexandra was wide awake. She’d been working late and the desk in her study was covered in spreadsheets and reports, but she’d been unable to concentrate.
Instead, she’d been checking her phone as obsessively as a teenager. She kept checking it was switched on. That the volume was up. That she hadn’t missed any calls in the few minutes it had taken her to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen.
There had never been a time when Abby had failed to return one of her calls.
And she couldn’t ever remember a time when her daughter had drunk too much. Whatever had possessed her? She’d never heard Abby so emotional. Even allowing for the influence of alcohol, it had been unsettling to hear. Like listening to a stranger.
She was worried. Seriously worried.
She’d called Abby’s phone numerous times, and in the end had left a message.
So far, her daughter hadn’t called back.
This wasn’t good.
Alexandra picked up her phone and for the sixth time that evening replayed the message Abby had left
I deserve to know the real reason you sent me here … and later … I really would appreciate it if you could tell me something about your past. Because your past is my past.
Alexandra put her phone down. Would Abby have forgotten the message when she sobered up (and what, exactly, had made her drink so much)? Would she even remember she’d made that call?
She had to assume Abby would call her back, and when she did Alexandra needed to decide what answer to give.
She had to decide what to do next.
She prided herself on being able to handle any situation, but for once her confidence in herself was draining away. She didn’t feel at all in control. Far from it.
She had a feeling that the life she’d constructed for herself was about to come tumbling down.