For a moment, everything was quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
But the kind of silence that pressed against the walls… thick and suffocating, as if something unseen was lurking just beneath it.
Regina lay motionless on the bed, her pale face almost blending into the white sheets. The faint rise and fall of her chest was the only sign that she was still alive.
To anyone else, it looked like rest.
To Meri, it felt like danger.
She had seen the woman.
The one in the blue dress.
The one whose voice carried death in every word.
Someone had come into this room… and promised that Regina would not survive the next time.
That thought alone was enough.
Enough to anchor Meri in place.
Enough to keep her from leaving, even when the Lutherals had long gone and the Gabriel estate slowly returned to its usual quiet rhythm.
Meri stayed.
Hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
She slipped beneath the bed, curling into the narrow space, pulling her knees close to her chest. Dust clung to her skin, and the wooden frame pressed uncomfortably against her back, but she didn't move.
Didn't complain.
Didn't make a sound.
Her small fingers tightened into fists.
I won't leave Mommy.
Even if she was scared.
Even if she didn't understand everything.
She knew one thing.
If she left… something bad might happen.
And she wouldn't be there to stop it.
The door opened again.
Slowly.
Meri's breath hitched.
Through the thin gap beneath the bed, she saw a familiar pair of shoes.
Regina's mother.
She walked in quietly this time, as if the weight of everything around her had finally begun to settle into her bones.
She sat beside the bed.
For a long time, she didn't speak.
She just looked.
At the daughter she had lost.
At the daughter she had found again.
And perhaps… at the daughter she no longer understood.
Then finally…
"Mrs. Lutheral came to see you today."
Her voice was soft, but strained.
"There might still be forgiveness… even after everything you've done."
She let out a dry laugh, one that held more bitterness than humor.
"Zima is still angry. Of course she is. Anyone in her position would be."
Her fingers gripped the edge of the bed.
"You need to wake up now, Regina."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"We have so much to fix. So much that you've broken."
A pause.
Heavy.
Painful.
"My life…" she whispered, "…is a mess."
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
"Everything is a mess."
Silence followed, stretching like a wound that refused to close.
"Your father won't speak to me anymore," she continued. "He thinks I'm the reason you turned out this way. That I failed you."
Her hand moved, grabbing Regina's arm.
"Please… just wake up."
Her voice broke completely now.
"Say something. Anything."
She shook her.
Once.
Twice.
Harder.
"Regina!"
The door burst open.
"Madam!"
John and Nani rushed in, alarmed.
"Please, you have to stop,she's unconscious!" Nani said, gently pulling her away.
"I know that!" Regina's mother snapped, her composure shattering instantly. "Do you think I don't know that?!"
Her breathing became uneven.
Her eyes burned with frustration.
"She's so frustrating… so useless…"
The words fell into the room like poison.
Then she turned sharply and walked out.
Just like that.
As though nothing inside her had cracked open.
Nani lingered for a moment, her eyes soft with pity as she looked at Regina.
Then she sighed quietly and followed.
The room fell silent again.
But this silence… was heavier than before.
Morning arrived slowly, like something reluctant.
A maid entered the room carrying a basin of warm water and a towel. She moved with practiced ease, used to tending to patients who could not respond.
She began cleaning Regina gently.
Carefully.
Routine.
Until…
She froze.
Her hand stopped mid-motion.
Her eyes widened.
Regina's fingers… moved.
Just slightly.
But unmistakably.
The maid dropped the cloth.
"Madam!"
She ran out immediately, her voice echoing down the hallway.
Under the bed, Meri had seen it too.
Her heart leapt into her throat.
She scrambled out without thinking, rushing toward the bed with urgency far too big for her small body.
"Mommy…"
Her voice was fragile, barely audible, but filled with trembling hope.
"Mommy… your hand moved…"
She grabbed Regina's hand gently.
"You're awake…"
Regina's body stirred faintly.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Her breathing changed.
Like someone slowly finding their way back from darkness.
Then…
Footsteps.
Fast.
Loud.
Coming closer.
Meri's eyes widened in panic.
She quickly slipped back under the bed, pressing herself into the shadows just as the door flew open.
"My dear!"
Regina's mother rushed in, her face filled with shock and relief.
"You're awake? You're finally awake!"
Her voice trembled as she turned toward the door.
"Call the doctor! Quickly!"
Regina's eyes slowly opened.
The world around her felt distant.
Blurred.
Unfamiliar.
She blinked, trying to focus.
Her lips parted.
And the first words she spoke,
"Where is my daughter?"
Her mother froze.
"…What did you say?"
Regina's breathing quickened.
"Where is Mary?" she asked again, her voice rising with panic. "Mary!"
The name echoed through the room.
Under the bed…
Meri heard it.
Her heart skipped.
Slowly, she crawled out.
Regina turned her head,
And saw her.
Everything stopped.
For a single moment, the