The Sins We Inherit

hina'

he building's buzz muffled by the thick glass. I opened the file and delicately touched

writing was

ced. All of them had to do with Wrenford Holdings. Corporate deals, meetings, and agreements-

global company that is connected to Wrenford Holdi

it. I stopped and looked at it for a long time. What di

or the document. I let out a

rate scandal that had been hidden away. It wasn't just a commercial arra

t raced as I slammed the file shut and pushed it into my dra

once looked so harmless now weighed heavy in my drawer, like a danger I couldn't ign

aphi

oss, standing in the doorway with

, my voice tight. "Wh

s hands. "Just wanted to check in and see

ay again. I was going to respond when he turned around and mumbled something about needing to

alking outside the building. I couldn't hear what th

We can't afford to make another mistake." Do

a second. Her? I didn't even know who they were talking abou

e was watching me and keeping note of ev

headed down the corridor to the break room, but I saw a door on the other s

was the only source of light in the room. There were piles of old paperwork and boxes heaped up

the top with my fingers, not sure what to do. I thought about my dad's face and quickly opened the box. There w

, their handshake frozen in time. It was a business setting-friendly and professional-but they were standing

rd to see. An odd symbol that gave me a bad feeling. I knew it right away. I had s

s more than I had asked for. There was a link between my

picture back into the box. This wasn

e sky in the late afternoon, and it threw deep shadows in my office. It didn't feel warm, thou

t. "Hey?" I said,

e that sounded low and r

but there was something about it that seemed familiar, like a

who is

d strange because everything was so calm. "I know wha

known? The words felt like frost settling deep in my bone

w the truth?" I can offer it t

y breath. "Who are you?" Wh

m was quiet. My hands shook when I took the phone away from my e

didn't die

going over the words in my head again and again. Someo

o? And

e was pulling threads that I couldn't see

r sitting by the window, staring out at nothing. Her face, which used to be bri

o know what happened to my dad." I found something. There's something

owly, though. "Seraphina, you're just imagining thi

ain. "Mom, this isn't just about him. It's about me. It

are more than you think," she muttered, her voice tight.

to live in the dark anymore."

full of fear. "Leave it alone, Seraphina

er words hung in the air. Who w

poke softly. "I can't st

shook. "Then you're walking into somet

pit of my stomach. I couldn't stop myself. I would