Shadows Of A Forgotten Spring

Chapter 87

Emma clenched her fists until her fingernails bit into the soft skin of her palms. She would not give up-not yet. Adam ha walked away, but she knew there was more to come. If he wouldn't talk, she'd find another way Ethan. For the innocent children who had died. For the justice they all deserved.

With a new firmness in her voice, Emma got to her feet. The fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot. expose the truth. For

Emma walked out of prison with her heart torn to pieces. She had gone inside with the hope of some sort of breakthroug glimmer that justice would prevail for her son and the innocent children affected. Instead, matters had just gotten worse, leaving her with more questions than answers.

Sliding into the backseat of her car, she let out a shaky breath and rested her head against the cool window. The blurred lights of the city mirrored her turbulent thoughts. As the driver pulled into traffic, her phone rang sharply, cutting throug the heavy silence.

Emma glanced at the screen and immediately picked up. "Good evening, ma'am," her personal assistant greeted, her voice trembling with panic.

Emma frowned, and the distraction, emotional depletion, made her tune out of everything else. "Good evening," she murmured absent-mindedly, "Ma'am. have you seen the news?"

The urgency in her assistant's tone snapped Emma out of her haze. She straightened in her seat. "What's going on?"

"It's about your mother, the assistant said, her words cautious but hurried.

stomach dropped. "What

to

and she hung up. With trembling fingers, she pulled up the news on her phone. Her heart dropped at the sight of the headline: "Mrs. Elizabeth

shook. It went on to describe the unexpected appearance of her mother, paparazzi frenzy, and even speculation about a family rift. She felt a wave of frustration and concern wash over her. Maina just wasn't strong enough to travel-she'd struggled with her health for

inside her "Drive faster," she instructed her driver. As they neared the apartment, she could perceive a sea of paparazzi

was racing as she ran up the stairs

in the living room, looking frail but dignified, while Ethan and Emily giggled on either side of her. The children hugged their grandmother tightly, unaware of the tension in

step forward Mom" she began

was cold as stone. Im waing for an explanation" she said

a step closer. "Mom, I can plain she said, the tone of her

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Chapter 87

word, Elizabeth rose shakily to her feet and

gasped in shock, her hand instinctively flying to her face. Tears welled in her eyes, not from the pain but from the utter disbelief. Her mother had never hit her before. This was uncharted territory. How could you?" Elizabeth exploded, her voice breaking in rage and pain. "How could you keep such an incident from me? Can you imagine how I felt while listening to this from the news

so much already- Elizabeth lifted a hand to quiet her. With a heavy sigh, she let herself sink back into the chair as the fight seemed to drain from her. The fire in her eyes faded and was replaced by exhaustion and