Emilia Berkins was inside her rented home, cooking a simple dinner for herself while humming a song as if she wasn't someone who had just run away from almost killing a child. She was 45 years old, single, and had spent years helping others take care of their children. So far, she had managed to live her life without a single blemish on her record, earning praise and credits as if she were the most magnanimous, selfless soul in the world.
She looked genuinely kind, always wearing a faint, gentle smile on her lips. She spoke with a slow, soothing cadence that led most people to claim she was a saint. With so many voices singing her praises, Belle never suspected a single bad thing about the woman. She never once imagined that her little brother was already suffering terribly at her hands. She was completely blinded by the flawless facade that the neighborhood had constructed for Emilia.
Three years ago...
