Stacy Roberts POV
____________________________
"What is 'finished him'?" I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. The phrase echoed in the quiet apartment, sounding bizarre, foreign, and deeply terrifying. I looked at her, my chest heaving, my eyes wide with a desperate need for reassurance. "Mom… what did you mean by that? Are they taking him to the hospital?"
My mother paused, her gloved fingers resting on the top button of her coat. She turned her head toward me, her sharp, calculating gray eyes softening just enough to mimic maternal warmth. A small, soothing smile touched her lips, the kind she used to give me when I was a little girl frightened by a thunderstorm.
"Yes, my baby," she replied, her voice smooth and steady, a perfect balm designed to quiet my rac
