Bianca agreed to finally leave her son's life, as the price to be paid for her freedom.
The forest spat her out like a rejected soul.
Bianca stumbled forward, the roots clawing at her ankles, the mist curling around her shoulders like cold fingers.
Larissa Forest had taken its price, and she felt every ounce of it pressing against her ribs, crushing her breath.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed on damp earth, clutching at her chest.
"Jackson". Her son's name burned on her tongue.
She tried to whisper it, trembling lips forming the syllables.
But before the sound escaped, her throat seared with fire.
A scream tore through her, sharp and raw, as if invisible hands had strangled her into silence. The curse was real.
She could no longer call him.
Her boy—the one she had dreamed of, and made promises never to leave him again.
