A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

During the morning staff meeting, I sat at the head of the table, but I felt like I was sitting on broken glass.

I could feel their eyes on me-pity, curiosity, and barely concealed schadenfreude.

Halfway through, my assistant, Jenna, crept over and slid her phone in front of me, whispering, “Ms. Lancaster… you should probably see this.”

I frowned and looked at the screen.

It was a post from Vanessa. Freshly uploaded to Instagram.

Nine photos. Every single one showing off the new house.

O

The marble kitchen. The balcony with mountain views. A selfie of her sprawled across the master bed, grinning like crazy.

The caption read:

[So grateful to my in-laws for this incredible gift. Finally have a place to call HOME! Some people don’t appreciate what they have and walk away… oh well, their loss!]

The comments were brutal.

[OMG congrats babe!!]

[Your in-laws are ANGELS!]

[Unlike some people who think they’re too good for family.]

I even saw a comment from one of my old college friends: [Wait, isn’t this Evie’s family? Where is she?]

Vanessa replied: [Oh, she’s too busy being a big-shot executive to care about us little people.]

My hands were shaking. I handed the phone back to Jenna, my face a mask of stone.

“Continue the meeting.”

But my brain was screaming.

She was broadcasting to the entire world that I-Evie Lancaster-had been kicked to the curb by my own family.

Later, in the break room, I overheard two coworkers talking.

“Did you hear? Evie got cut off by her family. They didn’t even give her a room in the new house.”

“Seriously? But she makes bank.”

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A Missing Kev. 218 Missed Calls, One Family Secret

She hung up.

Thirty minutes later, she called back, voice shaking.

“Evie, I went to the house. Vanessa wouldn’t let me in. She screamed at me in front of the neighbors. Called me a crazy stalker.

It was humiliating!”

My heart ached for her, but I felt completely helpless.

“Come back, Sienna. She’s not worth it.”

“But they can’t just do this to you!”

But they already did.

I couldn’t even understand it myself-why they kept hurting their own daughter, over and over again.

For the first time in my life, I had no idea what came next.

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A Missing Key, 218 Missed Calls, One Family Secret

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