A man rushed inside, breathless.
“Miss Hale—there’s something urgent!”
Victoria frowned.
“What is it?”
The man hesitated.
“One of the children… might still be alive.”
Everything stopped.
Victoria’s heart seemed to skip.
“What did you say?”
“Not all of them died…”
Silence swallowed the room.
And for the first time in three years…
Something other than anger appeared in her eyes.
Hope.
And fear.
Because if one child survived…
Then someone had hidden the truth.
And the betrayal ran deeper than she ever imagined.
No one spoke.
Victoria felt her strength falter—but she stayed standing.
“Where is he?” she asked, her voice steady despite everything. “Tell me.”
The man glanced nervously around.
“I can’t explain here…”
