“Umm.” I nodded. “Yeah.”
She smiled. “Tell me when Ethan gets here.”
Again, I nodded, watching as she went back to sleep. Kissing her forehead, I rose, cleaning my eyes.
Why?
Why did she have to say all of this? Why did she…why was she leaving us?
Stepping out of the room, I picked up my phone again. I dialed Ethan’s number, but it didn’t even ring. It went straight to his voicemail. “Pick up your damn phone, you idiot.” I dialed again, but it was the same.
“What’s wrong?”
I glanced up at Calliope, dressed in a dark high-waisted satin skirt with a black sweater to match her black hat and designer heels. Gigi was beside her in a matching outfit.
“What’s wrong?” I snapped, and her eyes narrowed.
Turning from me, she looked down at her daughter. “Gigi, go sit by Nana, okay?”
“Yes, Mommy. Good morning, Uncle,” she said to me, but all I could do was nod, stepping aside to let her in.
“What have I done to make you all angry at me now?” Calliope asked when the door closed.
Inhaling through my nose, I shook my head. “Never mind, have you heard from Ethan?”
“Nope.”
The casual way she said it nearly made me want to strangle her. It was like she was blatantly lying or didn’t care!
“Your husband has been missing for days? And all you can think to say is nope? Can’t you even pretend to be a little bit concerned?”
“Nope,” she replied. “I see everyone is a bit sad at this moment, so should I come back to talk to you about funeral arrangements?”
“What?”
“Neal and most likely—”
“Shut up.”
She frowned, walking forward. “It seems like I’ll have to talk to Evelyn personally.”
“You touch that door, and I will kill you,” I sneered, stepping in her path.
“Don’t threaten me. I don’t take that lightly.”
Cracking my jaw, I forced myself to take a deep breath. “I apologize. However, I won’t let you upset her. And bringing up funerals now will—”
“Bringing up funerals is upsetting. But they must be brought up. People know that your uncle has died. They are waiting for information and to pay their respects.”
“I don’t care—”
“I know. No one seems to care. Everyone is hurt. Everyone is licking their wounds in different corners of this house. But guess what? The world does not stop because you are hurt.”
“Would you be saying the same thing if it were Gigi who died instead?”
“I honestly don’t know. And I am happy I don’t know. Wyatt, this painful, but this is what has to be done. So, either you help me, or I go to Evelyn.”
“If you are so determined to do this, and everything else, why don’t you do it on your own?”