Anna's voice was fragile in a way Daniel had rarely heard.
She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.
Her gaze held confusion. Pain. Disbelief.
And beneath it all, something darker.
"Mom said Collin tried to kill me when I was one."
The words hung between them, heavy and suffocating.
Daniel did not interrupt.
He simply watched her, his eyes steady, his expression calm but attentive.
He could see it.
The storm inside her.
Anna was not someone who broke easily. She carried her pain quietly, burying it beneath composure and strength. But that did not mean she did not feel it.
She felt everything.
She just never allowed it to destroy her.
Anna looked away again, her fingers tightening slightly against her lap.
"I don't remember any of it," she said softly. "I was too young."
She let out a quiet breath.
"But just knowing it happened…"
Her voice trailed off.
Daniel remained silent, giving her the space to continue.
Anna's jaw tightened.
