Beneath the Surface
LAURA’S POV
The sterile scent of antiseptic burned my nostrils as I stood in the doorway of my mother’s hospital room.
She didn’t look at me.
Her thin fingers clenched the blanket with a strength that surprised me. Eyes—once soft and warm—were now frozen in a detached, hollow gaze that refused to meet mine. She sat there, rigid, spine stiff, as if letting her guard down for even a second might kill her.
“Mom...” My voice cracked.
Nothing. Not even a twitch.
“I didn’t know,” I whispered. “I didn’t know he’d be arrested. I never meant for this to happen.”
She turned her head slowly, and when her eyes locked with mine, I wished she hadn’t.
There was no warmth left in them.
Only betrayal.
“You brought the fire to our doorstep, Laura,” she said bitterly. “You alwa
