But before I can say anything, Hannah pulls her hand away from mine and runs to Meghan, throwing her arms around her hips. “Mommy!”
“Hi, baby,” Meghan says, pulling Hannah into her arms, her eyes never leaving mine. “Who is that woman with Beth?”
I listen to her words. She knows exactly who I am, and that Beth is my sister, yet she's asking anyway.
“That's Elle, Mommy,” Hannah says, smiling proudly. She reaches for Meghan’s pearl necklace. “Ooh, pretty.”
“Why are you here with her?” Meghan asks, her brows furrowed, her voice tinged with an edge of suspicion.
“She's Daddy’s friend, Mommy. She's not a stranger.” Hannah’s words land with a punch. Meghan’s eyes widen, and for a split second, she staggers backward, her grip on Hannah loosening. She looks like she’s been slapped.
And then it happens.
Meghan sets Hannah down, but Hannah still holds tight to the pearl necklace. As Meghan rises, the sudden motion causes a sharp tug on the delicate thread. The tension is too much. With a snap, the necklace breaks, sending pearls scattering in every direction. Despite all the noise, a sharp crack echoes through the mall as the pearls go flying—some tumbling across the floor, others bouncing off nearby tables, rolling under chairs,and scattering toward other shoppers. It’s almost surreal, like a storm of iridescent white spheres exploding in all directions.
Meghan’s face turns crimson, her breath quickening with fury.
“Great. Just great!” she hisses, voice seething with anger. “This necklace was worth thousands of dollars, and now it’s ruined.”
Beth and I exchange a glance, our concern immediately shifting to Hannah, who’s standing there, wide-eyed and trembling. She nervously tugs at the hem of her shirt, her gaze never leaving the floor. She’s embarrassed, the weight of Meghan’s rage bearing down on her.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," she mumbles, her lower lip jutting out in a pout.
I step closer, keeping my tone steady. “Meghan, calm down. It was an accident.”
“Calm down?” Meghan snaps, her anger rising, the intensity in her voice filling the air.
I take another step forward, my gaze locking with hers, and whisper, “Meghan, you’re scaring her. Calm. The hell. Down.”
Without a word, Meghan storms off, dragging Hannah behind her by the wrist—her grip tight and unyielding. Hannah glances back at me, eyes wide with confusion and brimming with unshed tears.
I freeze.
For a split second, I’m no longer standing in a busy mall—I’m fourteen again, screaming as Izzyis torn from my arms. The image flashes so vividly, it steals the breath from my lungs.
I blink it back, force it down, and take a step forward, my body already moving to follow them.
But before I can take another step, a hand clamps around my arm. I turn, frustration rising in my throat, and find Tina holding me back.
“Elle, don’t,” she says softly, but the urgency in her tone cuts through the rising panic inside me.
“But I need to go to her,” I reply, my voice filled with urgency. “I can’t just let Meghan walk off with Hannah like that. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
Tina shakes her head, her eyes calm but unwavering. “I know you want to protect her, but Meghan is her mom. If you go after her, it’ll only make things worse.”
A sharp breath catches in my throat, my chest tightening.
“She scared her,” I manage, swallowing hard against the burn in my throat.
Tina's expression softens, her hand still on my arm, grounding me. “But chasing after them and getting into an argument with Meghan in front of her will scare her more.”
"You're right," I say, pulling out my phone to start dialing. As I glance toward the exit, I see the man who was with Meghan fall in step behind her, following a few paces back without a word.
“I’ll take him,” Tina says, slipping her hands into her back pockets before gesturing toward the exit. “In the basket, I mean. I’ll take him… in the basket.”
Chapter 26
Cal
