Chapter 27 - Face to Face with the Monster
Victoria Vance slowly raised her head, blinking against the glare of the work lights.
Her face was gaunt, hollowed out by nearly three decades of isolation and torment.
Yet when her gaze locked onto Daniel, a spark of pure, undeniable maternal light flared in her pale blue eyes.
"My boy..." Victoria whispered, her voice like cracked silk. "Daniel... my baby."
Daniel took an involuntary step forward, his chest heaving with choked emotions. "Victoria..."
"Don't take another step, boy!" Evelyn shrieked, pressing down slightly on the iron lever.
Above the central tank, the chain winch groaned, dropping the wicker chair six inches closer to the swirling green water.
Sophie screamed in terror as the icy spray splashed against her dangling sneakers.
"Evelyn, stop!" Daniel begged, holding out his open hands. "Take me! Let the child go!"
Evelyn threw her head back, laughing a shrill, hysterical laugh that bounced off the cavernous concrete walls.
"You are just as pathetic and weak as she was, Daniel!" Evelyn spat, pointing a venomous finger at Victoria.
"You brought a common, worthless girl into my house," Evelyn hissed, glaring at Emily. "And she dared to look at me with defiance!"
"You slapped me because you knew Daniel would choose us over your poisoned money," Emily retorted, her voice steady and lethal.
"I threw your brat into the pond to test your obedience!" Evelyn screamed, her eyes bulging with madness. "A true Vance woman would have bowed her head and thanked me for the lesson!"
"Instead, you destroyed my reputation! You put me in a cage with animals!"
Victoria suddenly spoke, her cracked voice cutting through Evelyn's manic tirade like a silver blade.
"You were always a thief, Evelyn," Victoria said, coughing weakly. "You stole my son... but you could never steal his soul."
Evelyn's face twisted into an expression of pure, demonic rage.
"Then I will drown his soul tonight!" Evelyn roared, pulling the lever completely down.
The heavy chain winch unspooled with a terrifying shriek of grinding metal.
Sophie's chair plunged toward the depths of the icy pool.
May you like
Emily didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
She dropped her flashlight, sprinted across the slick concrete catwalk, and dove straight into the freezing tank after her daughter.
