Chapter 81

It had been nearly two months now, and Andrew and Albert were still fumbling through their efforts to make things work with Annabel. Each of them insisted on being the one to care for her, but instead of bringing her comfort, their constant competition only resulted in petty arguments and endless bickering. The tension between them hung in the air like a thundercloud, and it was wearing Annabel thin. Still, she forced herself to smile through it all, hoping that pretending everything was fine would prevent things from spiraling further.

Mrs. Torres, however, was far from fooled—and even farther from amused. She loathed the chaos that had taken over her family. Time and time again, she urged her husband to step in and put an end to the madness, but he dismissed her every time with the same cold response: “Wait for the child to be born.”

But Mrs. Torres knew in her bones that if that child came into the world, nothing would ever be the same—and not in a good way.

Desperate, she had take