Sera yanked her hand from Jake's grasp, her bottom lip quivering as she plunked down next to Emma. "Mommy," Sera whimpered, barely above a whisper.
The sight of her daughter's reluctance hit Emma like a ton of bricks.
On one hand, Sera's emotional distance stung like hell. On the other, Jake's puppet-master act sent chills down her spine.
It was crystal clear that Sera didn't give two hoots about talking to her, but one word from Jake, and bam! The kid was all ears.
A dark thought crept into Emma’s mind. 'What if I actually killed Jake? What would become of Sera?'
She shuddered, shoving the idea into the deepest recesses of her brain.
Oblivious to Emma’s inner turmoil, Jake addressed Sera, "Hey, pumpkin, didn't you have something to tell Mommy?"
Sera's pout deepened, but she dutiful
