Her heart stopped.
She turned slowly—and terror punched the air from her lungs.
Ethan, Noah, and Liam were running toward her.
But something was horribly wrong.
They were barefoot. Their clothes were torn. And—
Blood.
Their tiny hands and arms were smeared red.
They ran like children escaping hell itself, ignoring cars, ignoring everything, their eyes locked on Emily as if she were the only thing keeping them alive.
Behind them, sprinting with a face twisted in panic, was Richard Hawthorne.
The powerful billionaire no longer looked untouchable.
He looked like a father watching his children run straight into danger.
Time froze.
Emily dropped the suitcase.
She didn’t know what had happened—but every instinct screamed that something terrible had gone down inside that perfect house. Something that would change all their lives forever.
Emily collapsed to her knees on the burning pavement and opened her arms just in time.
Three small bodies crashed into her, sobbing uncontrollably.
“DON’T LEAVE US!” Liam screamed, wrapping his arms around her neck so tightly she could barely breathe. “DON’T LEAVE US WITH THE WITCH!”
Emily hugged them, kissing their sweaty hair—then felt something wet and sticky.