Mara walked out, her steps measured, her arms wrapped tightly around Isabella. No dramatic exits. No final words. Just a mother — or something very close to it — taking a child home.
The van door closed behind her. And just like that… she was gone.
****
The Shepherd mansion loomed quietly in the soft glow of the security lights, its familiar silhouette shadowed against the night sky. As the van rolled to a gentle stop near the front entrance, Mara leaned forward, instinctively checking that Isabella was still sound asleep on the seat beside her.
She was.
Wrapped in the soft blanket Stefan had left for them, her tiny form was calm now, lost to the exhaustion of everything she couldn't yet comprehend.
Mara's eyes flicked up to the driveway.
Someone was there.
Pacing slowly. Hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. Shoulders hunched. Hesitant.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to see more clearly through the tinted glass — then stiffened.
No. It couldn't be.
