Still, as she walked away, she could not stop her mind from racing about the way Chloe had been clutching her midsection. She had raised three active children and she knew the distinct difference between a child who was bored and a child who was hiding physical pain.
A few minutes later, Martha excused herself from the group on the patio. “I am going to step inside for a second to check on the potato salad,” she said casually so no one would grow suspicious.
Inside the house, the air was significantly cooler and the silence felt heavy after the noise of the backyard. Martha walked down the hallway toward the guest bathroom and closed the door behind her with a soft click.
She stood there for a moment in the dim light while letting the quiet settle around her thoughts. Then she heard a pair of soft, hesitant footsteps approaching the door from the hallway.
The bathroom door creaked open just an inch before Chloe slipped inside and quickly turned the lock with her small, trembling fingers. Martha’s heart tightened in her chest as the little girl looked up at her with wide eyes that were swimming with unshed tears.