Chapter six

Shattered Pieces

“No!” I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation. I lunged forward, but it was too late—my son had already taken that fatal step toward Lorenzo. The room seemed to shrink around me, everything else fading into the background as I focused on him—on my baby boy, whose wide, innocent eyes looked so confused. He didn’t understand the danger, the darkness surrounding him. And I couldn’t save him.

“Mom?” His voice was small, scared. The fear in his eyes ripped through me, but it was nothing compared to the icy grip of terror when I saw Lorenzo’s hand land on his shoulder.

Time slowed to a crawl.

Lorenzo’s smile was cold and cruel. His hand, so gentle on my son’s small frame, was a mockery of the violence he carried in his veins. I could see it in his eyes—the hunger for control, the ruthless need to dominate. And my son, my son, was just a tool in his twisted game.

I tried to scream again, to force myself to move, but my body was frozen, paralyzed by the sheer terror of