Chloe hesitated. She couldn't reveal the truth. But she didn't know how to stop Summer either.
The ringing of the phone finally ended. The silence that followed was heavier than before.
Summer stared at her. "Why are you stopping me from going home? Why won't you let me see Hope?"
"I told you," Chloe replied firmly, trying to sound steady to make her believe that she wasn't lying. "She had gone to the countryside with Mom."
Summer's heartbeat picked up. "Why do you keep making up stories?"
Chloe grew desperate to prove her point. "I didn't make up stories. You forgot because you hit your head."
"Stop saying that." Summer's tone sharpened. "I know when I'm being lied to."
She was so anxious that her breathing came in ragged gasps. A dull ache bloomed behind her temples. She reached out, her fingers clutching the edge of the bedside table. Flickers of muffled crying, Hope's blood-stained face slipped from hers.
"Summer—" Chloe stepped forward.
