?Chapter 110:


    Dani, still holding her doll, turned around in curiosity. As she nced over her shoulder, her gaze locked onto the horrifying sight of her mother’s lifeless body. Blood was streaming from her mother’s eyes, and her formy twisted on the ground.


    The sunlight reflected off the fresh blood, turning the ground a bright shade of red. It spread out like a strange, unsettling field of roses. Dani remained still, silent, unable toprehend. Medics arrived, followed by the police.


    She remembered Caiden sitting nearby, his tears flowing as he yed the part of the heartbroken husband. Then the rain began to fall, soaking the pavement. The blood mingled with the water, spreading out like roses in full bloom, only this time with a violent, unsettling force.


    Her mother was gone, without so much as a word, not even a note or a farewell.


    For years, Dani had been tormented by that day. Why had her mother jumped?


    Why? Why had she left nothing behind?


    Was it because she was just as unworthy in her mother’s eyes as she had always been in Caiden’s?


    Tears slipped quietly down Dani’s face, her eyes shut tightly against whatever torment was chasing her in her dreams.


    Cedric stood motionless beside the bed, his brows knit together in concern.


    Josie walked in, looked over at Dani, then turned to Cedric.


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    “It looks like Ms. Harper is having a nightmare.”


    Cedric froze, his body tense, a sudden wave of shock rushing through him. He turned to Josie, his voice cutting through the air.


    “Did you just say…?”


    “It never crossed my mind before, but now I’vee to understand that Ms. Harper has a habit of sleepwalking. It doesn’t follow any predictable pattern, but it always urs in enclosed areas. One night, her bedroom door was left slightly open. I woke up and found her just sitting there in the dark living room. I tried calling her name, but she didn’t even flinch, so I decided to sit down with her. After nearly an hour, she got up, walked back to her room, andy down like nothing had happened. I followed behind, just to be sure everything was fine, but she showed no signs of being aware during the entire ordeal. The following morning, I brought it up, but she had no memory of having sleepwalked the night before. She said it’s been a thing since she was just five years old. She told me, ‘If you ever see me sleepwalking, don’t freak out. Just make sure the doors and windows are locked. I usually stop when I bump into something.’ I asked her if she’d ever gone to a doctor about it, but she justughed and brushed it off. She mentioned that her childhood had been chaotic, and even her mother knew about it but didn’t bother doing anything. Eventually, she just learned to deal with it and didn’t think much of it anymore.”


    Josie paused for a moment, then spoke again.


    “Afterwards, I made it a habit to check on her. Some nights, I’d wake up and feel the need to look in. There was one night I heard her crying softly. It was faint and restrained, as though she was trying to keep it hidden. When I looked in, she was still asleep. But she was crying. It was gut-wrenching to witness.”


    She shifted her gaze from Dani to Cedric.


    “The same thing is happening again.”


    Cedric’s hands curled into tight fists, and his entire frame was shaking uncontrobly.


    Caiden had known all along, but he had turned a blind eye.


    She had cried so painfully in her sleep before, just like she was now.


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