I swallowed the rage bubbling inside me and replied as calmly as I could, "I won’t come over. I like everything you’ve done." I could hear the satisfaction in Hudson's voice as he hummed in response. "Aubrey, I ran into Harper earlier. She heard your mom was sick and insisted on coming to visit her at the hospital."
"Pack up. We’ll pick you up soon," he added.
I felt a surge of defiance. I wasn’t about to let Harper anywhere near my mother again. But before I could voice my protest, Hudson had already hung up. I called him back, but there was no answer. With a deep breath, I went to the kitchen, packed the soup I had prepared earlier, slung my bag over my shoulder, and hurried out.
Before leaving, I returned to my bedroom to stash the crumpled photos back into the safe. When I got downstairs, Hudson's car was already parked on the street. From a distance, I could see Harper sitting inside, the door slightly ajar.