Catherine didn't stop her. She simply sat there, her silence saying more than resistance ever could.
Sammy's expression changed as she read. The casual edge slipped first, then the faint irritation, until there was nothing left but stillness. Her grip tightened slightly around the phone, her eyes moving faster now, as if hoping to find something in the words that would undo what she had already understood.
But there was no undoing it.
Her lashes trembled.
And then her eyes filled.
"Aunt Cathy…" her voice broke, small and fragile in a way Catherine had never heard before. "What is this?"
Catherine swallowed, forcing her voice to steady even as something heavy settled in her chest. "Your dad is worried," she said quietly. "Now that Caleb is getting married… and I have a boyfriend…" She paused, choosing her words carefully, though none of them felt right. "He's worried about you, Sammy."
