Eliana's hand shook as she gripped the phone tighter, her knuckles turning pale. Tears welled in her expressive eyes, but she blinked them back, her voice rising with a mix of anger and fear. "You're insane! Henry hasn't done anything to you. And neither have I. What do you even want from me?"
There was a pause, the static humming like a predator's breath. Then Mirabel's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, each word an ultimatum carved in stone. "Listen carefully, Eliana, because I'm only going to say this once. The only way you survive my wrath—the only way you keep yourself and that precious unborn child safe—is if you come to me. Willingly. Of your own free will. Crawl to my door, beg for my mercy, and I'll take care of you. Both of you. I'll be the best mother and grandmother."
Eliana's breath hitched, her hand instinctively flying to her belly again, as if to shield the life growing inside her. "Take care of us? Why would you do that? You've never cared about me before."
