For a moment, her entire world stopped. Before she could utter a single word, the line went dead. The phone slipped from her trembling fingers, but she didn't notice. Her knees buckled, crashing to the cold floor as if the weight of the moment shattered every ounce of strength she had left.

A scream threatened to rise in her throat, but nothing came. Only silence which was more suffocating. Her mind spun with one thought Hope. How could she keep her safe? How? The question didn't just haunt her it devoured her.