The Perfect Family by Iris Baxter

Author:Iris Baxter [Baxter, Iris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 46

I woke up the next morning, the dream still clinging to me like a second skin. The blinding light, the antiseptic smell, the indistinct figures in white—it was all too vivid, too real to dismiss as a mere nightmare. But was it a memory? A twisted fragment of my past, distorted by the weight of everything the sheriff and Mrs. Burch had said?

I lay in bed for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling, trying to pull the threads apart. Theo lay curled beside me, his gentle purring grounding me in the present. I reached out, running my fingers through his fur. “What do you think, Theo?” I murmured. “Was it real?”

He blinked at me lazily, his amber eyes half-closed in indifference. At least one of us wasn’t drowning in questions.

I needed to get out of the flat. The walls felt too close, the air too thick. Maybe a walk through town would clear my head. The small sense of comfort Mrs. Burch had provided yesterday seemed like a distant memory, and I wasn’t sure I could face the house again just yet.

After dressing and grabbing my jacket, I slipped out into the cool morning air. The streets were quiet, the dampness from the night’s rain clinging to the pavement. The town felt smaller than I remembered, its edges frayed, its charm dulled. It wasn’t the lively, warm place I’d left behind—it was tired, like a reflection of the secrets it seemed to hold.

As I wandered aimlessly, my feet took me back to the diner. The sight of it—a bit run-down but familiar—stirred something comforting in me. The bell above the door jingled as I stepped inside, the warmth of the room wrapping around me like a blanket.

Mrs. Burch was bustling behind the counter, but when she saw me, her face softened. “Mellie,” she said warmly, wiping her hands on her apron as she approached. “Back again?”

I managed a small smile. “Yeah. Needed to get out of the house.”

She nodded knowingly. “Well, you came to the right place.” She motioned toward a booth near the window. “Go on. I’ll bring you something.”

I slid into the booth, grateful for her kindness. Moments later, she returned with a plate of waffles, the sight of them tugging at the corners of my mouth despite the weight in my chest.

“Thanks, Mrs. Burch,” I said softly.

She gave me a kind smile. “It’s no trouble.” But she didn’t leave. Instead, she sat across from me, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression expectant.

I hesitated, unsure if I wanted to dive back into the storm of questions swirling in my mind. But the words spilled out before I could stop them. “The sheriff… he told me about the rumors. About my parents.”

Mrs. Burch’s face faltered for a moment, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes. Sadness, maybe. Or regret. “I figured he might.”

I set my fork down, my appetite fading. “He said people were scared of them. That they kept to themselves and… that they weren’t what I thought they were.

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