She had secretly wanted the baby to die, but Fate never sided with her until twenty-three years later, when Destiny Childs got her wish.

Broken, middle-aged Destiny daily struggles to survive her haunting past. Dead parents. Unplanned teen pregnancy. Cyclic addiction and depression. Life hasn't treated her kindly. Then one day she sees the name of her castaway daughter on the news: a victim of murder.

Seeing this as an opportunity to extort the rich family her daughter left behind, Destiny crafts a plan. But as all her plans go, it loosens a mess of secrets long buried, along with the truth behind the murder.

In this haunting murder mystery short story, discover the gruesomely intimate stranger harbored within Destiny... one who may lurk within any one of us.

This riveting prequel to the international bestselling thriller The Art of Fear unravels the darkest depths of human nature. A chilling tale consumed in under an hour, but not so quickly forgotten.

The Scream of Silence originally appeared in Reader's Circle of Avenue Park's Crooked Tales anthology but is now published for the first time as a standalone short story.