My heart thundered in my chest as I stared at Mrs. Johnson—no, at my mother. Her revelation echoed in my mind, impossible yet making perfect sense of the connection I'd always felt toward her.
"You're my daughter," she'd said, and those three words had rewritten my entire existence.
Before I could respond, her face contorted in pain. Her hand flew to her chest, and her complexion turned ashen.
"Evelyn?" Cameron Johnson rushed toward her. "What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but only a strangled gasp emerged. Her wide eyes fixed on me with such intensity that I took an instinctive step forward.
"Mrs. Johnson?" I whispered.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Time slowed as she crumpled, Cameron barely catching her before she hit the floor.
"Evelyn!" he screamed, lowering her gently. "Someone call an ambulance!"
Panic erupted. Servants scrambled. Ivy stood frozen, her face a mask of shock.
