Chapter 2: The Breaking Point
The house hadn’t changed—but the atmosphere had.
Staff whispered. Relatives stared. No one spoke directly to Sarah, yet she could feel their judgment hanging thick in the air.
Her suitcase sat at the top of the staircase.
So close.
As Sarah reached for it, Eleanor’s voice cut through the silence.
“Tell me,” Eleanor said, walking closer, “does my son know you’re still pretending that child is his?”
Sarah froze.
“This child is his,” she said firmly, turning around.
Eleanor laughed—a cold, hollow sound. “How convenient.”
Before Sarah could react, Eleanor snatched the ultrasound photo from her hand—the one she carried everywhere.
“Give that back!” Sarah stepped forward, panic rising.
Eleanor glanced at it briefly… then tore it in half.
The sound ripped through Sarah like a knife.
“No—!”
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But it was too late. The pieces fluttered to the marble floor.
Something inside Sarah broke.
