Juliette POV
Harrison’s eyes drilled into me, his gaze as unyielding as a wall. I stood there, frozen, unable to move or even form a word. My pulse hammered in my ears, drowning out everything but the silent, desperate thoughts whirling through my mind. He’d asked me once—quietly at first, almost as if testing the weight of his question.
“Is this your daughter, Juliette?”
But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My throat felt tight, as though it had closed entirely. I tried to speak, to even nod or shake my head, but nothing happened. It was as if, in that moment, I’d lost control over my own body. My mind blanked out, seized by a fear so powerful that it rendered me mute.
Harrison’s gaze didn’t waver, and he stepped closer, repeating his question, louder this time. “Is she yours,
