"Come on," I said, standing up and holding out my hand. "Let's go get some pizza. It's getting cold."
He hesitated, then took my hand, letting me pull him to his feet. As we walked down the stairs, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just made a terrible mistake.
*****
Dominic had finished with his call, and we all sat in the living room, watching a movie as Liam ate his pizza, distracted by his phone, constantly texting. I was on high alert, my senses trained on my son, watching for any sign of distress. But he seemed fine, his color returning, the haunted look in his eyes replaced by the familiar, carefree expression of a teenager in love.
I felt a small glimmer of hope. Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding. Maybe Emily was just a normal girl, caught i
