WHO IS MY FATHER?

The sound of a cry pierced through the peaceful evening in the garden. My heart raced as I looked at Ivan, my legs still wrapped around him from our loving embrace. Slowly, he set me down on the ground, our eyes locked in shared shock.

"What was that?" I asked Ivan.

"Something that can't be ignored." Ivan informed me.

Without a word, we turned in the direction of the cry. It was childlike, filled with fear and desperation. And as the voice reached my ears, a chilling realization washed over me – it sounded just like my niece.

Isabelle! I thought to myself as panic surged through me and without thinking I sprinted towards the source of the cry, Ivan close behind me. The garden seemed to stretch on forever, the shadows growing longer with each passing moment. My mind raced with a million thoughts – was my niece in danger? How could she be here, in the garden, when she was supposed to be in her room sleeping?