Chapter 1

"The bus is here, Mommy."

Kicking my blanket away, I rushed out of my room, not even bothering to put on my shoes. I then pulled my daughter, Marilyn Lopez, into my embrace, refusing to let go of her small, warm body.

"You don't have to go to school today, Mary."

Marilyn tilted her head as she looked at me, asking, "Why? We're celebrating Ollie's birthday today."

"No reason. You don't have to go because I said so," I replied, my voice trembling.

The familiar honk of the bus came from downstairs.

"I want to go to school, Mommy!" Marilyn exclaimed as she began to struggle in my hold.

"You're not allowed to go!" I tossed Marilyn onto the bed and blocked the door with my own body.

The impatient voice of my husband, Gabriel Lopez, sounded through the door. "What do you think you're doing, Natasha Wilson? Hurry and take Mary out. The bus is about to leave."

"She's not going to school today!" I roared.

"Have you lost your mind?" Gabriel demanded.

He pulled out a key and unlocked the door from the outside. "Come along, Mary. I'll walk you to the bus today."

"No!" I screamed as I spread my arms open and shielded Marilyn behind me.

"Do you have any idea what you look like right now, Natasha? You're scaring Mary," Gabriel spat, looking at me with disdain.

The bus honked again, urging us to take Marilyn to the bus.

I looked at the bus driver, James Cook. He was smiling at me through the window again.

This was the 108th time I saw his smile, but it still sent a chill down my spine.

"She's not allowed to get on that bus!" I shrieked.

Gabriel clearly had no interest in talking to me any longer. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist before shoving me aside.

I collided with the wall, pain exploding at the back of my head.

Gabriel picked up Marilyn, who was making a fuss, and walked out of the room. He didn't even bother sparing a single glance at me.

"Gabriel!"

I sprinted out of the house and stared at the back of the bus as it disappeared around the corner.

It was over.

I collapsed onto the ground. A sense of hopelessness filled my chest as I waited for the seconds to tick by until the clock struck 3:00 pm.

However, I decided to do something this time.

I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife I had, slipping it into my coat pocket. I then made my way over to Marilyn's kindergarten and planted myself right in front of the entrance.

I waited from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm, gripping the knife tightly.

My phone didn't ring at 3:00 pm. Instead, the school bell rang, signaling the end of classes.

The children burst through the doors like a swarm of happy birds. I spotted Marilyn among them. She was running at the very front, carrying a rabbit-shaped backpack.

She threw herself into my arms when she saw me, shouting, "Mommy!"

Tears streamed down my face as I held her tightly.

Had I succeeded? Had I managed to save her this time?

I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't say a word.

Gabriel parked his car by the curb before making his way over to us. "I told you that everything would be fine," he berated me. "You were being too paranoid."

I ignored him. I just wanted to hold Marilyn close.

Just then, a truck appeared around the corner and began speeding down the road.

Its target wasn't me or Gabriel—it was the yellow bus parked in front of the kindergarten.

James had just helped the last child onto the bus when the truck rammed into it, causing a deafening sound to ring through the air.

The bus was sent flying through the air toward the sidewalk, landing right on top of Marilyn and me.

A few seconds before I lost consciousness, I saw James poke his head out of the broken window of the driver's seat.

He smiled at me again.