Julian's question about Violet froze me in place. The entire world seemed to pause, suspended in disbelief.
"What did you say?" I whispered, wondering if I'd misheard him.
"I asked where Violet is," Julian repeated calmly, like this was a perfectly normal conversation. "I'm picking her up for dinner with my grandmother."
My heart pounded against my ribs. How could he stand there, so casually erasing our daughter's death? Was this some cruel new game?
"Julian," I said carefully, "Violet is gone."
His amber eyes narrowed. "Gone where? Your sister's? The community center?"
"No," I shook my head, anger building within me. "She's dead, Julian. Our daughter died. You know this."
A shadow passed over his face, quickly replaced by impatience. "Stop it, Aurelia. This isn't funny."
"Funny?" I hissed, stepping toward him. "You think I would joke about our daughter's death?"
