I hadn’t heard from Hyacinth in quite some time, so when she invited me to dinner, it caught me completely off guard. I hoped she wanted to rebuild the distance that had grown between us. As her stepfather, I’d always wished for a closer bond, and maybe this dinner was the start of that.

When I arrived, the restaurant was much fancier than I expected. Hyacinth seemed different calm but distracted. She ordered lobster and steak without consulting me, and her energy felt off. Our conversation was awkward, with short answers and frequent glances at her phone. I sensed something was being kept from me.