CHAPTER 1 — “The Silence Between Them”
The courtyard feels heavier now.
The man in the dark suit steps closer, his shoes echoing faintly against the stone. His eyes never leave his mother. She is still trembling, barely holding herself upright by the fountain.
“Stay back…” the younger woman in white says quietly for the first time.
Her voice is calm—but there’s an edge in it. Not fear. Control.
The man ignores her.
He kneels beside his mother, carefully placing a hand near her shoulder without touching the wound on her neck.
“Who did this to you?” he whispers.
The mother’s lips move, but no clear words come out. Only a broken breath, like she’s trying to form a name she can’t finish.
Behind them, the scissors glint faintly in the daylight.
May you like
The younger woman doesn’t move.
But she is watching everything.
