Chapter 20

Mom's incessant questions came through the phone like a barrage. I had no chance to get a word in. Only when she finished her frantic questioning did I finally explain that I had not managed to stop Helen. "You useless thing. You can't even handle something so simple. Come home right now and explain exactly where you saw your sister." "I'm already home. Mom, did you forget that I'm visiting today after the wedding?" There was no need to ask. I already knew the answer. Her aggressive tone vanished. A moment later, my father took over the call. "Amber, we've been busy looking for your sister these past few days, so we completely forgot about this. Wait a bit, and we'll be back right away." I hung up and returned to the couch. "My parents will be back soon. I'm sorry for making you wait so long." I looked at Felix with a hint of guilt. When I had gone to the Affleck residence, everyone there had treated me with such warmth and formality. Yet when Felix came to visit my home, my pa