Part 25
Emily froze, the match burning down close to her fingers before she blew it out, darkness swallowing the room again.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as she held Leo tighter against her shoulder, retreating toward the kitchen.
Without the security cameras or the digital gate monitor, she had no way of knowing who was outside in the blizzard.
The knocking continued, louder this time, accompanied by a muffled voice that was completely drowned out by the wind.
She grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the dining table, her fingers gripping it so tightly they turned stark white.
"Who's there?" she called out as she approached the heavy wooden front door, her voice trembling despite her effort.
There was a brief pause on the other side, and then the voice called out again, clearer this time during a lull in the storm.
"Emily! It's Margaret! Please open the door!"
Emily blinked in utter disbelief, her mind struggling to comprehend why her mother-in-law would be here in a blizzard.
She looked through the physical peephole, and the beam of her flashlight revealed Margaret standing on the porch.
The older woman was covered in snow, her face red from the freezing cold, shivering violently as she held a heavy bag.
Emily hesitated for a fraction of a second, old instincts warning her of danger, but humanity and reality took over.
She threw the deadbolts back and pulled the heavy door open, a blast of freezing winter air rushing into the foyer.
Margaret stumbled inside, collapsing onto the marble floor as she dropped the heavy bag she was carrying.
Emily quickly slammed the door shut against the storm, locking it securely before turning her flashlight onto Margaret.
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"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, her voice a mix of shock, confusion, and lingering defensive caution.
Margaret looked up, her teeth chattering uncontrollably as she tried to catch her breath in the dark foyer.
