Drown [z.m.]

7.

The message goes straight to voice mail, because Patricia Malik is busy.

Busy, busy, busy with work, work, work.

Then, when she listens to it precisely an hour and forty three minutes later (after a message from her boss and another from her laundry service) she freezes.

She freezes right in the middle of a busy train station somewhere south of Leeds, passengers rushing past her and telling her to 'get a move on, miss'.

But she doesn't care, because waves of hurt and fear are crashing into her, and she staggers on her tired, tired feet.

The words 'your son drowned' don't register right way, so she listens to it again.

Again and again, until she has the terrible words of the ghastly voice message memorized.

The message ends, but the nightmare doesn't.

Patricia Malik misses her train that day. It's the first time she's missed a meeting in twelve years.

Instead, she catches a different one to be with her son. It's the first time she's been there for him in twelve years.

//

i really hate to update so late when the chapters are so short, but :c

i hit 1k+ reads gosh thank you!! <3 i appreciate all the lovely comments, you guys are the best.

i've written the next few chapters already, and they're super sad, i even cried a little :,(

but ily x :)

((dedicated to harreh_curls bc you're amazing tbh))