Nora's POV
A scream tears from my throat, raw and desperate. The next moment, James crashes to the floor beside me, his arms wrapping around my trembling body. "They have her! They took our baby!"
Time moves like thick honey as we both collapse backward, the reality too horrific to accept. Our daughter has vanished, stolen away to some unknown place. I twist in James's embrace, pressing my face against his chest, and let out another anguished cry.
"We're going to find her," he promises, but his words only fuel my rage. My fist connects with his chest repeatedly.
"How do you know that? How?" I crumble forward, tears streaming down my cheeks without control.
Surviving without James nearly destroyed me, but existing without my daughter feels impossible. She's half my soul, and this agony cuts deeper than anything I've ever experienced. The pain slices through me like molten metal, burning and freezing simultaneously, tearing me apart from the inside.
