Chapter 77

**Hannah's POV**

Emma must not know, right? That her being alive at all is a crime. I mumbled to myself, my gaze fixed on my husband, lying asleep on the hospital bed, tangled in tubes and wires, oblivious to everything. I took another bite of the apple, pressing my fork deeper into its flesh with each bite.

“How she survived that fire… I don’t know,” I muttered, my voice barely audible. My fingers clenched around the fork as I pierced another piece. “But even if she did… she should have stayed hidden, tucked away in that orphanage where she belonged.” I bit down hard, relishing the snap of the apple as if it could somehow absorb my anger.

I stood up, placing the empty plate on the table beside him, watching as he lay there, utterly defenseless. The memory of Emma’s endless, needy glances surfaced in my mind—how she always tried to catch my attention, pretending she wanted nothing. *Just like her mother,* I thought, clenching my teeth. *So innocent, so self-sacrificing. And then, t