The Hands At The Top Of The Stairs

Yara's POV But I couldn't.Because every time I tried to speak, I saw his face from that day. The way his eyes went cold.Mom came back to my side. She held my hand."Baby, I came home and found you at the bottom of the stairs. Can you tell me what happened?"I looked at Daddy.He was standing by the door. His hands were in his pockets. His face was soft.But his eyes. His eyes were not soft. His eyes were like a warning or a promise that I was going to be dealt with if I said anything. "I don't remember," I whispered.Mom's face fell. "You don't remember?"I shook my head.The doctor said something about trauma. About pressure. About not forcing me to remember.Daddy nodded. "He's right, baby. Yara will tell us when she's ready."Then he looked at me."And if someone really did come into our home and push our daughter, I will never forgive them. Never."He smiled, but his smile made me feel sick.The doctor held my hand. He told me I was brave.But I didn't feel brave.I felt like

The Secret Isn’t Safe Anymore

Ingrid's POV I froze mid step.Imani was already crossing the lobby toward me. No coat, still in yesterday's clothes, the look of someone who had been inside so long they'd forgotten there was an outside. And she was smiling. The kind of smile that took over her whole face made her look like herself again."Where are you going? Didn't you come to see Yara?"I opened my mouth. My mind went somewhere very fast and came back with something. "Ahhh... yes, but I got a call. The vineyard. One of the fermentation tanks — the temperature is off, and if we lose this batch—""Now?" She looked genuinely confused. Then worried. The way Imani worried — immediately, fully, thinking about the problem and the solution at the same time. "Can't you see Yara first? Just five minutes? She's awake, Ingrid. She's talking, she's—""I'll come back tonight." The words came out sharper than I meant them to. "I promise." I pushed the gift bag into her arms before she could argue. "I got these for Yara. Tell he

The Face Behind the Fall

Ingrid's POV Daddy's eyes didn't move from my face for a long moment. Then he blinked. And something in his face rearranged itself into something casual."Don't mind me," he said. He bent slowly and began picking up the larger pieces of glass. "I was bringing you the new batch I've been working on. The fig and cardamom blend — I've been fermenting it for three months, wanted you to taste it." He shook his head at himself. "I tripped, and the bottle slipped."I looked at my father, crouching on the floor, and I asked myself if he had really heard me. His face gave me nothing."Go back inside," he said, not looking up. "I'll get another bottle.""Don't worry about it. I'm leaving anyway."He looked up then. "So soon? Is this about Yara?""She's fine. I just need to get back."He pushed himself to his feet. "Alright. Drive carefully."I walked past him, and I did not breathe properly until I sat in my car.I dialled Roy's number again. "What was that noise?" His voice was immediate.

Four Strands of Truth

Yara's POVAunty Ingrid didn't stay long. After she left, I couldn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her hands. The way they reached for me. The way they pushed.I heard Mommy breathing in the chair beside me. I wanted to tell her. I couldn't. So I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.Imani's POV Days went by in a blur. I woke up. The first thing i felt was hope. Real hope because Yara was getting discharged tomorrow.I sat up and looked at the bed immediately the way I always did.Yara was awake.She was lying on her side facing me with her eyes open, and when she saw me looking, she smiled. She was simply happy to see my face.I was out of the chair."Good morning, baby." I sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her in carefully. She tucked her face into my neck, and I closed my eyes and just held her."How do you feel?" I asked into her hair."Better," she said. "My head doesn't hurt as much today.""Yeah?""It's like a three now. Before, it was a ten."I

When Suspicion Found Proof

Iman's POVMalcolm and Nurse Diana said their goodbyes, and Yara watched them go with the expression of someone trying to look like they didn't care and caring quite a lot.When the door closed, she looked at me. "I really like him.""I know you do," I said.She smiled at the ceiling. "He's really nice.""He is." I watched her face. "Get some rest, okay? I'm going to go home and get some clean clothes. I'll be back soon."I hugged her carefully. She hugged me back with both arms, and I held on for a second longer than I needed to."I love you," I said."I love you, Mommy."I asked the nurse at the station on my way out. Kept my voice casual, like it was a passing question. Did they do DNA testing here?She shook her head but pulled a small card from the desk drawer — a referral she'd clearly given before. A genetics lab two blocks away.I thanked her and kept walking.The lab was quiet. Clean white walls, a woman at the front desk who didn't ask unnecessary questions. I filled out the

The Cruelest Accusation

Imani's POVI held Ingrid’s bracelet in my palm, the gold cold against my skin as the vine-leaf charm caught the light, turning it over and over so the chain kept flashing. It had been lying in the exact spot where Yara fell, and the moment I closed my fingers around it a hard certainty settled in my chest—the same certainty that had been building for days. Ingrid was hiding something from me, something large and ugly that had everything to do with Yara.What are you hiding? What did you do?I needed to tell Roy. He would know what to do; he always knew what to do.My phone rang. Roy’s name lit the screen. I answered at once. “Roy, I—”“Where are you?” His voice was sharp, wrong, nothing like his usual tone.“I’m at home. I just came to get some clothes for—”“You left Yara alone at the hospital?”“I only stepped out for a minute. She was fine by herself. The doctor said she could go home tomorrow—”“Get here now.” His voice cracked. “Yara’s condition has worsened. They’re trying to r