The next day, Vivien arrived. Dressed in impeccable beige, she walked into the room and her eyes landed on Luna. I saw it instantly—a flicker of doubt, a cold, clinical assessment. She didn’t coo or ask to hold her. She just stared. That’s when the hairs on my arms stood up. This wasn’t a grandmother meeting her grandchild. This was an inspector finding a flaw in the merchandise.

I handed Luna to Caleb. Vivien stepped closer, arms folded across her chest, her gaze unwavering. And that’s when she dropped the bomb that shattered our world.