Maya's POV
One month passes. Quiet, peaceful months. No threats. No secret siblings. No Walsh family drama.
Hope turns two years old. We throw her a party. Just family and close friends. Derek comes from Thailand. Catherine brings presents. Sophie bakes a cake.
Normal. Finally normal.
Then the doorbell rings.
I open it to find a woman I never expected to see again.
Vanessa Chen.
She's alive. Thinner. Pale. But alive.
"Surprise," she says weakly. "I survived."
My hand flies to my mouth. "They said you died. At the hospital. Code Blue."
"I did die. For three minutes. They brought me back." Vanessa looks different. Softer. Broken in a new way. "Can I come in?"
Every instinct screams no. This woman poisoned my mother. Tried to steal Hope. Destroyed my life.
But something in her eyes stops me. Genuine remorse. Real pain.
"Five minutes," I say. "Then you leave."
She enters slowly. Like she's afraid I'll change my mind.
In the living room, Ethan and Derek freeze.
