Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

As my phone vibrated and lit up with an unsaved number, I stared at it, debating whether to answer or let it ring out. Part of me wanted to ignore it, let the call slide into voicemail, and deal with it later-if at all. Life had thrown enough chaos my way, and I wasn't about to

LILY

waste time on a stranger who hadn't earned the right to a place in my contacts.

"You should probably take that," Ryan said, breaking my internal debate. His eyes, which had been glued to his laptop moments ago, now locked on me. "It might be someone who knows where to find the boys. You never know."

His words gave me pause, tugging at the fragile thread of hope I'd been holding onto. I sighed heavily. "Fine," I muttered under my breath, rolling over to the edge of the bed.

Reaching for the phone, I hesitated one last time before swiping the green icon to answer. Without lifting it to my ear, I tapped the speaker option and dropped the phone onto the bed beside me.

"Lily Williams," I said, my tone curt and emotionless. I didn't bother with pleasantries or warmth-I didn't have the patience for it. Whoever was on the other end could get straight to the point.

A cheerful, almost too-bright voice responded. "Hello! This is Sarah from Deep Cleaning Services," the caller said enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

Oh, right-the cleaning company I hired to tidy up the estate after Maya and her mother were evicted. "How may I help you, Sarah?" I asked, my tone polite. I'd already paid the bill in full, so this couldn't be about money. "Well," Sarah began, her voice still chipper, "while cleaning, we came across an expensive item, and we thought it should be returned to you."

I frowned. Expensive? What expensive item could Maya and her mother possibly have left behind? "And what item might that be?"

"A cufflink," Sarah replied.

immediately. He snapped his laptop shut and moved to sit beside me on the bed. Both of us knew Maya and her mother, Salome, had no reason to own something like a cufflink, let alone

"Sure."

gold-plated cufflink filled the screen. There was no denying it looked expensive far beyond anything Maya or Salome could afford. I glanced at Ryan and

owned," Ryan said. He reached for his phone,

was clear he was thinking the same thing I was. If this cufflink had belonged to Ryan's father, it meant one

long silence on the other end. I imagined his mother sitting there, frozen, trying to process his

you need the CCTV footage

what cufflinks Dad was

I gave him as a gift," she said softly, "I remember fastening them for him

his frustration leaking through despite his efforts to remain calm. As he spoke, he got off the bed and began pacing the floor. "I don't think I have a picture of it on my phone," Ryan's mum said, her tone contemplative. "But I can check his collection

kill Richard? What possible motive could she or Salome have had? It didn't make sense-not yet,

back," Ryan said before ending the call. The moment the line disconnected, I realized

to confirm who the cufflink belongs to first. I'll call you back once I know more."

there. Both of us were lost in thought, waiting anxiously for his mum's call. The minutes dragged on until finally, Ryan's phone buzzed. He answered it

his collection," his mum said, "Maybe he lost it or misplaced