Adam scrolled through Clara’s phone contacts, searching for someone close to her who might know where she’d gone. He hesitated for a moment before tapping on Maya’s name—one of Clara’s closest coworkers and personal friends. Maya answered on the third ring, her voice tight and guarded, like she was already bracing herself for bad news or an uncomfortable conversation.
When Adam asked if she’d had any contact with Clara lately, Maya paused for a long beat, long enough to make Adam’s nerves prickle with unease. “I’m…not really sure what to say,” she replied carefully, her words vague and evasive, like she was tiptoeing around some hidden truth she didn’t want to share. She quickly added, “I have to get back to my kids now, Adam.”
