Chapter 40: Broken Ties
Author: Bella Grace
last update2025-08-19 21:07:05

Martha sat stiffly in the visitors’ room of the prison, her hands folded on her lap.

Across from her, her two daughters sat, both dressed in the dull uniforms of the facility. It had been a full month since her last visit, and though she tried to keep her composure, the sight of them weakened her inside.

Victoria leaned forward, her brows knitted. “Mum, what’s going on? Why are they saying you’re being charged for murder?”

The question hung in the air like a stone dropped in water. Martha straightened her back, brushing her hand over her dress as if the gesture could erase the heaviness.

“Don’t bother yourself about that,” she said quickly, waving her hand as though dismissing a nuisance. “It’s not something you need to think of. Just focus on yourselves here. I’m handling it.”

But Sophia wasn’t satisfied. She had been staring closely at her mother since she came in, noticing the way her eyes shifted whenever the subject came close.

Her voice came quieter, but sharper, cutting thro
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