“Put it down,” Ms. Parker warned.
Then Ethan spoke.
“Aunt Claire… you said that before.”
Silence shattered.
“What?” Ryan demanded.
“I heard you,” Ethan said. “You said Mom wouldn’t sign. And Aunt Claire said one curve would fix everything.”
Claire cursed.
“Be quiet.”
But Ethan didn’t stop.
“You said you’d tell everyone she was tired… then take me away.”
Ryan stepped toward him.
“Come here.”
“Don’t touch him,” Ms. Parker said.
I tried to move.
To scream.
To protect him.
But all I could do—
was move my hand.
This time—more than a finger.
Ethan felt it.
Claire saw it.
And smiled.
“Look at that… she’s waking up.”
She locked the door.
And as Ryan grabbed Ethan—
a voice shouted outside:
“Police! Open the door!”
But Claire was already too close…
“Let him go,” Ms. Parker said.
Claire tightened her grip.
“No one takes what’s mine.”
The door shook.
“Police!”
Ryan went pale.
“Claire—stop.”
“Now you’re scared?” she snapped.
“You cut the brakes!”
“Because you couldn’t!”
Every word shattered the truth wide open.
Ms. Parker said nothing.
She didn’t need to.
She was recording everything.
The door burst open.
Officers rushed in.
Claire struggled—but dropped something.
A scalpel.
Ethan broke free and ran to me.
“Mom…”
With everything I had left—
I squeezed his hand.
Hard.
“She’s awake!” he cried.
