Neil walked in just as the phone hit the floor.
He didn’t ask twice.
He saw my face—and knew something was wrong.
“What happened?” he asked.
“It’s Grace,” I said. “She’s at the school.”
For a split second, he froze.
Then something changed.
Not confusion.
Not disbelief.
Fear.
He picked up the phone and hung it up immediately.
“It’s fake,” he said quickly. “AI. A scam. Don’t go.”
But his voice wasn’t steady.
And that’s what made everything worse.
When I grabbed my keys, he stepped in front of me.
“You can’t go,” he said. “Please.”
That word didn’t sound like concern.
It sounded like panic.
“Why?” I asked. “She’s dead. What are you afraid of… unless she isn’t?”
He didn’t answer.
And that silence told me everything.
I left.
Drove to the school.
Ran inside.
Went straight to the principal’s office.
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