Chapter 5 - The Shadow on the Balcony
Upstairs in the fortified master suite, the minutes crawled by like centuries.
Sophia paced the perimeter of the room, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Every shadow falling across the tall drapes seemed to hold a gun. Lily had finally succumbed to exhaustion, curled up into a tight ball on the oversized velvet sofa, clutching a velvet pillow as if it were a shield.
"You don't have to pace," Ethan spoke up from his post near the bed. He was cleaning his miniature cufflink with a cloth, pretending to be a grown man, but Sophia noticed the slight tremble in his lower lip. He was just an eight-year-old child whose birthday had turned into a nightmare.
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"I can't help it, Ethan," Sophia whispered gently, sitting beside him on the edge of the mattress. "I shouldn't have brought Lily to work today. If I had known..."
"If
