Maria's Point of View
I stood outside the large, imposing door of the Thompson estate, my heart pounding in my chest. I'd been rehearsing what I would say all morning, but now that I was here everything seemed to fade into the background.
This was a confrontation I had been avoiding for years, always hoping that things would smooth out on their own. But after Kairo's confession about his mother meddling in the situation with the twins, I couldn't stay silent any longer.
I wasn't just doing this for myself; I was doing it for Floyd and Hana. I wasn't going to let Mrs. Thompson's control extend any further into their lives.
I steeled myself and rang the doorbell before I changed my mind again. In a moment, the door opened, and there she stood-Mrs. Thompson. Her eyes, icy and calculatin
