She paused, letting the terror sink in.

“We will see you in family court tomorrow morning, Emily,” Margaret said. “Enjoy your last night with my granddaughters.”

The line went dead, leaving only the sound of the rain beating against the glass.

The phone in my hand felt like a block of ice.

I couldn’t breathe.

“Emily,” Richard said, his hand resting gently on my shoulder.

“She’s going to take them,” I whispered.

The rain lashed against the tall windows of the library, a relentless, heavy drumming.

“She cannot take them,” Richard said, his voice steady and low. “We have legal options.”

“You don’t understand Margaret,” I said, shaking my head.

“She has the money, she has the connections, and now she has this… this lie.”

My hands began to tremble so violently that the phone slipped from my fingers.

It clattered onto the hardwood floor.

Richard picked it up and set it on the desk.

He turned toward the door where Mrs. Alvarez stood.

“Please make sure the girls are upstairs and occupied,” he told her.

Mrs. Alvarez nodded, her eyes filled with worry.