"Mom," Titus Zane called softly, trying her best to make her voice sound normal.
Over the phone, Ariana Evans's voice soon came through, carrying the concern and urgency of long separation, along with a mother's reproach for her daughter.
"Titus, why did you only think to call me now? I was almost driven mad by worry. The phone was unreachable, and you didn't reach out to the family on your own. If you hadn't called me soon, I was going to report you missing to the police..."
"Mom, it's not that serious," Titus laughed, realizing for the first time that she too could be so insincere, speaking casually to a once respected and relied upon relative whom she now doubted and wanted to test.
"I just got a job and have been very busy, and I changed my number, so I forgot to contact you." She had been using two phone numbers, but the one she didn't want to contact, she had blocked.
