#Chapter 87: The Truth

Aria’s POV After pushing the doorbell for the third time, I knocked on the door to Sophia’s house instead. “Mom…” Joe sounded nervous. Maybe we should leave. I could call the police and have them do a wellness check rather than have us out here, possibly endangering ourselves. Turning to Joe, I was about to usher him back to our car in the driveway, when the door, at last, opened. Sophia, standing inside, offered us a friendly smile. It was strange, since she’d never shown me any kind of friendliness in the past. “Aria. Joe. Are you here to see William?” she asked. I placed both my hands on Joe’s shoulders, still unsure if we should stay or go. Even with Sophia’s friendly disposition, there was something off about her. Maybe it was the dark, heavy bags under her eyes, or the way the white of those eyes was red and bloodshot. Or maybe it was the way that smile of hers seemed to tremble around the edges, like it was taking a considerable amount of effort to keep it in p