Esmeralda's eyes went wide, and she felt a knot in her stomach as she realized she had exposed more than she intended. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear—a gesture that betrayed her nervousness—as she tried to regain her composure.

"I..." she began to say, forcing her brain to scramble for an excuse, but her son's gaze only made her more nervous. Though she tried to summon the courage to speak, she couldn't, and her son's next words made it clear she had already been caught and had to adm