CHAPTER 464

Sophia’s POV

I had no idea that it was going to be the last time I would hear from Emily. And that I would never see my brother Chris again too.

Three months had passed since I last heard Emily's voice, and the silence stretched between us like an unbridgeable chasm. Chris and Emily were still missing, and with each day that went by, the weight of that absence pressed heavier on my chest.

Then I thought about Phoebe, who was stuck in Paris, trying to get well and to live a normal life again. I knew she was working hard in therapy, but I couldn’t shake the image of her sitting in that wheelchair. I felt so helpless being thousands of miles away.

Suddenly, Jared cried out. It was as if he’d been able to sense that his mother and aunt had not been around for a long time now. I hurried to him, lifting him from the crib and cradling him close. “Shh, baby, it’s okay,” I murmured, trying to calm him. But even as I rocked him, my mind was elsewhere.

I sat down on the sofa with Jared, who sq