EIGHTY FIVE

SPECIAL CHAPTER FOUR: OPHELIA COTTONWOOD

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Special chapters serve to shed light on the perspectives of minor characters, providing insight into their roles in the unfolding narrative.

I sat in my living room for the hours that passed, mindlessly staring at the television before me while I clutched onto my phone.

I had intentionally let Camille eavesdrop on the conversation between me and Abigail, hoping she would call back, asking questions.

The guilt that had been gnawing at me for years had gotten significantly worse. I blamed myself for the suffering that Bo's daughter had to go through because of my greed.

So I figured the least I could do was tell her that Abigail was alive and watching her. I knew she would feel so betrayed knowing the relationship that we had was nothing more than fabricated, but it would give me enough peace, and I could just lie to Abigail that Camille had somehow figured something was amiss, so I had to give her something.

When the call did