ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY NINE

SYLVIA'S POV

I stood in the living room, my eyes locked on the bags Grayson had packed for us. They just sat there, lifeless and heavy, like the weight pressing down on my heart. This wasn’t how I imagined our lives would turn out—sneaking away in the dead of night as if we were fugitives. But this wasn’t about starting fresh anymore; it was about survival, about protecting my children from Alice and Konrad. Grayson had made it clear: we had to leave, and we had to leave now.

I paced back and forth, anxiety gnawing at me with every passing second. Where were my children? They should have been here by now. My mind raced, pushing away the worst-case scenarios that kept creeping in. What if something had gone wrong? What if we were already too late?

A hand touched my shoulder, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. I turned to see Raymond standing there, his expression calm, yet concerned. “They’ll be fine,” he said, his voice steady, trying to reassure me.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t