laugh echoed acro

d finger at Cecile. "House 5! The mud shack! Oh my

the chat moved so

rm

o freeze to d

wo hours bef

features into a mask of deep, agonizing pity. She took a step

ing the main camera. "This isn't right. That shack i

Put your pride aside. Let Damien come stay in House 3

cile said no, she was a monster denying her child warmth. If she said yes,

e a shred of decency left in your cold heart, give t

as. It was a house rigged with cameras in every corner, ruled by a woman who pi

the world

brought both of her hands up and cl

olid, completely blocking out Hayleigh'

ise of the world. Through the small gap between her fingers, he caught a brief glimpse of the tight, furious line of her jaw before she gently

s for a second longer before letting them drop. She stepped

ayleigh. Her eyes were li

t. "Why don't you care about the fact that your son spat his chewed gum ont

tled red. She looked frantically at the cameras, openin

ponse. She turned her head,

ake smile

ep forward. "My son is not a prop for your maternal

ep back. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "I... I was only

She turned her terrifyin

re. "No production member or cast member may forcefully separate a parent-child unit during the survival

d the legal documents, let alone weaponize them. The director quickl

"Alright! Guides, please take the

d. Without looking back at the stunned crowd, she followed C

s vanished from her eyes, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated venom. Besid

rocks and thick mud. Cecile was wearing thin, flat designer shoes. Ever

uickened his pace, his small hand gripping hers tighter, try

sted a s

tting wooden shed. The door hung off one hinge. Half the ro

shack, then at Cecile, a flas

ou look into the lens and say you can't do it, production is leg

s. She knew exactly what Octavi

aid flatly. "I

eching, rotting door, and stepped into the