Eliza's POV
The weight of Cavin's command lingered in the air as I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the locked door. My heart was a mess, oscillating between confusion and fear. Cavin had been insistent, almost desperate when he told me not to leave the room. But how could I stay still when the house felt suffocating with secrets I couldn't unravel?
I hugged my knees, lost in thought when a bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence.
"Help me!"
It was my mother.
I gasped, standing immediately. My pulse quickened as I ran to the door, jiggling the handle. Locked.
"Mom!" I yelled, panic rising in my chest. Her screams grew louder, filled with desperation and terror.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed the heavy lamp from my bedside table and smashed it against the lock. The wood splintered under the force of my strikes, and with one final blow, the door flew open.