Chapter 3 - THE ADMISSION
The phone in Elowen's hand remained live, the tiny green recording dot glowing on the display like a beacon in the dim room.
"Elowen?" the dispatcher asked softly in her ear. "Do you know who removed your SIM card?"
Before Elowen could open her mouth to answer, Kael called out through the oak paneling, his patience snapping in real time:
"I took it out! You're always phoning people and making me look like the one at fault!"
A heavy pause hung over the line.
Elowen felt a strange, cold stillness settle inside her chest. He had said it out loud. The admission was recorded, streamed live to the county dispatch center, anchored into an official record that no amount of his mother's money or social standing could erase.
Outside, Mara’s voice cut through the air, sharp with warning. "Kael!"
"Why?!" Kael snapped back at his mother, his boots shifting on the hardwood floor outside. "You were standing right there when I did it!"
Mara hissed a reprimand, but the damage was done.
Suddenly, the brass door handle twisted violently up and down. The latch rattled against the striker plate as Kael threw his shoulder against the wood.
Elowen didn't hesitate. Keeping her left arm locked firmly behind baby Leo's head, she extended her right foot and shoved the heavy, wicker-and-oak laundry hamper across the floor, wedging it tightly beneath the door handle to create a mechanical brace.
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"Help is two minutes away, Elowen," the dispatcher whispered into the phone. "Keep holding on."
Then, without warning, the hallway went completely dead silent.
