I froze. My heart pounded in my ears as I strained to hear more.

“$10,000…”
“…before he starts asking questions…”
“If you don’t take care of this, I will.”

A chill ran down my spine. They were talking about Leo—my son. But why? And in what context?

My breath caught in my throat. I had trusted Amelia, believed in our new life together. Yet here I was, standing in the shadows of my own home, listening to my husband and new wife discuss my child in a way that felt cold, calculated—like a transaction.

A deep unease settled in my chest. Who was “he” that they were worried about? What questions was Leo not supposed to ask? And why did it all revolve around money?

At that moment, one thing became painfully clear: something was terribly, terribly wrong.