In the Shadow of My Son's Death

The call from Ethan came just as I was finishing up with dinner preparations. “Grace, I need you to pick up Sam from school. Something’s come up, and I can’t make it.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. But Ethan had already hung up, leaving me with a growing knot of worry in my stomach. Sam was only five. The thought of him being alone at school filled me with dread.