Pearl’s POV
The room was bathed in silver light, the pale glow of the moon spilling across the floorboards and onto the sheets where I lay. The candle had long since burned down to a stub, leaving only that quiet luminescence to chase away the shadows. I stroked my stomach slowly, humming a lullaby my mother once sang to me. The melody was soft, almost a whisper, and I imagined my little ones nestled inside me listening, feeling the warmth of my voice.
“Sleep well, my treasures,” I whispered, pressing my lips to my belly. “Your father will come back to us soon. He must…”
The words faltered in my throat, grief and faith colliding inside me like a storm. I closed my eyes, holding my breath until the ache dulled.
And then it happened.
A sudden, sharp sound, tap. Something had hit the flo
