Sophia’s P.O.V

I could feel my legs give way beneath me as I collapsed to my knees, the weight of the world suddenly too much to bear. My heart—no, my soul—felt as though it had been ripped open, and I was drowning in the pain. Every breath I took was a struggle. It was as if the air had thickened, pressing in on me from every side, suffocating me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her. Old Mrs. Jenkins, the maid who had been with us for years, rushed toward me. She had been ...