Crossroads of the Heart
The cellar door creaked shut behind them. Anna and Noah stood frozen in the dark, their breath visible in the cold night air. The soft, scared voice of the child still echoed in Anna’s mind—so faint, yet so powerful it shook her to the core.
Noah was already moving, flashlight in hand, sweeping it through the dusty corridor. “She’s down here. I heard her.”
Anna followed closely, heart racing. “She sounded afraid.”
Noah stopped. “She is afraid. Juliet’s been raising her in lies. We have to undo what’s been done.”
They reached an old wooden door with rusted hinges. Noah kicked it open.
Inside, a small room. A single mattress. A teddy bear. And in the corner, a girl—no more than eight—with wide, terrified eyes.
“Hey,” Anna whispered, kneeling. “It’s okay. We’re
