I reached for him, but my body gave out too. We hit the floor almost together. Voices rose around us—shouting, confusion—but it all sounded distant, like it was underwater.
My vision darkened.
And then I saw my mother standing above us—not horrified.
Relieved.
Her voice came soft and calm. “Finally… peace and quiet.”
Lily laughed—not nervous, not shocked, but pleased.
“Thanks for disappearing, both of you.”
Cold realization flooded me.
They meant this.
With everything I had left, I found Noah’s hand and squeezed.
“Don’t move,” I whispered. “Stay still.”
I don’t know if he understood—but I felt the faintest squeeze back.
So we lay there. Motionless.
And then everything changed.
My father, who had stayed silent through years of my mother’s cruelty, suddenly stood. His voice—sharp, unfamiliar—cut through the room.
“What have you done?”
Silence fell. Not awkward silence—something heavier.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Dad. You knew what this was.”
He froze. “I thought you were going to scare her—not poison a child.”
Noah’s fingers twitched in mine, but he stayed still.
My mother snapped, her voice hard. “If she hadn’t fought us over the property, none of this would’ve been necessary.”
Of course.