She stopped at the foot of the stairs, her eyes immediately fixing on the glowing red timer.

04:12.

Nora’s breath hitched, her hand flying to her mouth as she took in the scene.

She looked from the ticking device to Caleb, and then her gaze fell upon Elena.

There was no surprise in Nora’s eyes when she looked at the housekeeper, only a deep, exhausting sadness.

“She didn’t have a choice, Adrian,” Nora said softly, her voice echoing in the low-ceilinged room.

I turned to Nora, my flashlight beam catching the dampness on her cheeks.

“What do you mean she didn’t have a choice?” I asked.

Nora walked slowly toward us, her boots crunching on the loose dirt of the cellar floor.

She stopped next to Elena and placed a hand gently on the trembling woman’s shoulder.

“Caleb knew everything,” Nora said, her voice steady but laced with old pain.

“He knew about the pregnancy before you did, Adrian.”

“He knew before anyone.”

I stared at Nora, my mind struggling to piece the timeline together through the haze of the ticking clock.

03:55.

“How?” I demanded.