Mrs. Rivers paced the living room, her phone pressed tightly to her ear.
"Hello—Adrian! Samantha's been taken by the cops!" she blurted, her voice trembling with panic.
There was a long silence on the other end before Adrian finally spoke, his voice sharp and controlled.
"What did she do?"
Adrian Rivers—her husband, Samantha's father—had been away on a business trip outside Nighthollow for nearly a month.
"She didn't... she didn't do anything!" Mrs. Rivers stammered, her throat tightening.
"It's all a misunderstanding—"
"She did nothing?" Adrian's tone turned cold.
"You keep spoiling that brat rotten and now you're telling me she's innocent? Call me when you're ready to talk. Otherwise, let her spend the night in a cell—maybe that'll teach her something."
The line went dead.
Mrs. Rivers stood frozen, staring at the phone as the silence pressed in.
Then slowly, anger replaced her fear. Her fingers curled tight around the device.
