Walton Merritt

Margaret Jenkins set her teacup down so sharply that Earl Grey splashed onto the doily. The phone still

The Sister Who Decided for Everyone The phone rang at precisely seven in the morning, just as Lydia was

**The Door Will Stay Shut** *Friday, 10th May* “Mum, open the door! Please, Mum!”

**Ten Years Wasted** “Bloody hell, Emily!” shouted Charlotte, grabbing her cup of cold coffee

**The Uninvited Party** Margaret Whitmore adjusted her third outfit of the evening before the mirror

“Lydia, how could you let this happen?” Valerie hissed, her voice tight with accusation as she stood

**Thursday, 15th June** The guests have left, but the bitterness lingers. “Mum, how can you say that?

“Who do you even think you are, telling me what to do?” Robert spun around from the fridge, a can of

The Note on the Fridge Margaret Whitmore woke at half past six, as she always did. Outside, the sky was

**Diary Entry** Mum’s lost her mind—proper lost it. I could hardly keep my voice steady. “