Diane called the next day, the warmth entirely gone. She said, “You’ve been poisoning the family. I have been patient through your grief, paranoia, and inability to trust me. I sacrificed the most for mum, and now I’m done absorbing it.” The call was nine minutes long.
When she told Tom afterward, he was quiet for a long time. Then he said, “She’s scared of something.” Sarah said, “I don’t know what Diane would have to be scared of.” Tom looked at her with an expression she couldn’t fully read and said, “I think you know, just that you don’t want to admit it.” Sarah didn’t reply.