Chapter 2

I stared at Dr. Ramirez, the words "suffered immensely" branding themselves onto my heart.

Ethan didn't even give him something for the pain.

He let them hurt our son.

Samuel Maxwell slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. His face, moments before just grieved, was now a mask of fury.

"That bastard! My own grandson! A monster!"

The old man struggled to his feet, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"He'll pay for this. I swear to you, Ella, he will pay."

Just then, one of the ranch hands, a young man named Billy who usually had a shy smile for Kay, knocked hesitantly on the door.

He held a small, brightly colored paper bag.

"Mr. Maxwell... sir? Ethan, uh, Mr. Ethan called from town. Asked me to pick this up. Said it was for Kay."

Billy looked miserable, avoiding my eyes.

Samuel snatched the bag. It was full of cheap, gummy candies, the kind shaped like worms and bears, coated in sour sugar.

"That fool!" Samuel roared, his voice cracking. He threw the bag across the room, candies scattering like grotesque confetti. "His son is dead, by his own hand, and he sends... this? He doesn't even show his face! He's with that damn woman, isn't he? That vulture!"

He grabbed the phone. "I'll call him. I'll drag him back here. He will kneel before you, Ella, and beg for forgiveness."

He dialed Ethan's number. Once. Twice. Ten times.

No answer.

Then, my own phone, clutched in my numb hand, began to ring.

Ethan's name flashed on the screen.

I pressed the answer button, my thumb shaking.

"Ella? What the hell are you doing at Dad's? Are you crying to him now?" Ethan's voice was sharp, impatient.

"Did you really have to bother him with this? It's not like Kay lost a limb. It was a damn necklace."

My voice was a hoarse whisper. "He's dead, Ethan."

Silence. Then, a harsh laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous. What, did he catch a cold? Sophia told me you Native remedies are powerful. Use some of your magic on him. She said any kind of modern medicine, even for Kay, might interfere with the amulet's energy transfer to our new baby. She needs it pure."

He didn't believe me. Or didn't want to.

"And I sent him his favorite candy. Those sour gummies. What more do you want? Stop making a scene."

I looked at the scattered sweets on the floor.

All pineapple flavored.

Kay was allergic to pineapple. Violently allergic.

Ethan, his father, didn't even know. Or had forgotten.

The hollowness inside me grew, vast and cold as a desert night.

Dr. Ramirez and a nurse wheeled a gurney into the living room. They gently placed Kay's small, still form upon it, covering him with a clean white sheet.

Samuel Maxwell watched, tears streaming down his ravaged face.

Then, he did something that shocked me to my core.

He fell to his knees before me.

The powerful patriarch of the Maxwell dynasty, on the floor, his forehead touching the dusty rug.

"Ella... forgive me. It's my fault. I raised him. I let him become this... this animal who would destroy his own child. I failed." His shoulders shook with sobs.

"You are a holy woman. Your people... your spirit... you saved my life, saved this family when you came here. You brought us prosperity. You gave us Little Eagle, a blessing we didn't deserve. And this is how we repay you?"

He looked up, his eyes pleading. "Don't leave us, Ella. Please. I know I don't deserve to ask. But this ranch... this family... it will be nothing without your light."

I trembled, looking down at the old man, then at the white sheet covering my son.

I bent and pressed my cheek to where Kay's small face would be. The sheet was already cool. My tears finally broke free, a silent, burning flood.