Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Weight of a Number
Jess uses the phone number Jamie gave her to contact a woman from the park, who offers resources for escaping abuse. Ben grows suspicious, and the tension at home escalates. Jess begins to form a tentative plan, but a confrontation with Ben forces her to lie to protect her children. The chapter ends with Jess hiding a burner phone, knowing she must act soon.
The number sat in Jess’s pocket like a live wire, buzzing with possibility and danger. She could feel it through the thin fabric of her jeans, a secret she carried into the kitchen, into the living room, into every moment Ben’s eyes tracked her. It was a lifeline, but it was also a leash—if Ben found it, he would tighten his grip until she couldn’t breathe.
Jamie’s face that morning had been a ghost of the boy he used to be. His eyes, usually so full of mischief, had been wary and tired. He’d handed her the paper like it was a bomb, and in a way, it was. The woman from the park—Ms. Evelyn, she’d said her name was—had seen Jess at the playground with Layla, had seen the way Ben’s phone calls made her flinch, the way she checked over her shoulder. She’d approached with a gentle smile and a card that Jamie had snatched up before Ben could notice.
Now Jess had the number. But she had no way to use it.
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