"What's wrong?" Ivy started, alarmed.

Katrina's face was a tangle of worry and frustration. "Your dad just called me, asking if I know where you are. He said your snake got out—it scared Emma so badly she fell down the stairs. Now the fire department's caught it, and they're saying they'll have to put it down!"

"What?" Ivy was stunned. "My snake got out?" For a moment, she was at a loss. But it quickly clicked. "Of course—it hasn't been fed these last few days. It must have gotten hungry and went looking for food."

She hurried to get up and pull on her clothes.

"You're going back?" Katrina asked.

"Yeah. The snake's innocent. They can't just kill it."

Katrina tried to stop her, her voice urgent. "But if you go home now, it's going to be a war zone! Emma's still in her first trimester—falling down the stairs like that, the baby probably won't make it."

Ivy froze, realizing only now what had happened to Emma. She'd been so caught up worrying about her snake, she'd forgotten everything else.

"Right…There's no way the baby's going to survive—" she muttered in a daze. Then, suddenly, she let out a cold laugh. "Maybe it's karma."

"For her, maybe. For the baby, though, maybe it's a blessing," Katrina said, calm and clear. "There's that old saying: some souls are spared from misfortune. If that child were born, with Emma and Micah as parents, it'd be a disaster."

"True enough. Maybe the baby's smart—hopefully, next time, it'll find a better family," Ivy agreed.

Before the words had fully left her lips, Katrina's phone rang again.

She handed it over. "It's your dad."

Ivy took the phone. "I'll answer."

She'd already decided not to go back, but her snake still needed to be taken care of.

"Hello…"

As soon as Adkins heard his daughter's voice, he exploded with rage. "Ivy! Look at what you've done! Keeping all sorts of bizarre animals—now Emma's fallen down the stairs! Who knows if the baby's going to survive! How are you going to explain this to the Shepherd family?!"

Ivy held the phone away from her ear, waiting out his tirade before calmly bringing it back. "What's done is done. Shouting won't help. Where's my snake?"

"The fire department killed it!"

"They what?" Ivy stiffened, anger flaring. "Who gave you the right to have them kill it?"

"Ivy! Do you even see me as your father anymore? What kind of attitude is this?"

"You all stopped thinking of me as your daughter a long time ago—why should I treat you like a father?" Ivy shot back, voice unwavering.

"You—you're going to be the death of me!" Adkins was practically hyperventilating.

Back at the Windsor house, the firefighters hadn't left yet. They'd managed to catch the black-and-white king snake, but now, no one quite knew what to do next.

Hearing Adkins yelling into the phone, the lead firefighter took it from him.

"Hello, this is the fire department. Is this your snake?"

Ivy's heart ached for her pet, but she quickly answered, "Yes, it's mine. Did you really kill it?"

"No, it's still alive. But your family needs to decide what to do—we've already responded to your house twice about this."

Ivy felt guilty. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Could you please keep the snake at the fire station tonight? I'll come by tomorrow to pick it up."

"You can't come tonight?"

"I…I was in a car accident a few days ago. I'm not able to get there right now."

The firefighter hesitated, then agreed. "Alright, but you need to come tomorrow and sort this out."

"I will. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

The fire department left, snake in tow.

When the phone was handed back to Adkins, he immediately launched into another round of shouting. But Ivy had already given up on her family a long time ago. She'd made up her mind to cut ties, and her response was cool and steady.

Once his rant sputtered out, Ivy spoke, her voice even. "Don't worry. Once I'm well enough, I'll come by to collect my things."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing special. Just that I have nothing left to hold me to that house. It's time to cut ties."

With that, Ivy lowered the phone and ended the call.

Katrina, sitting at the edge of the bed, looked at Ivy's pale, resolute face and gently squeezed her shoulder.

Ivy managed a smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine. You should get some rest."

"You too. Try to sleep early," Katrina said, standing up and leaving the room.

Ivy picked up her phone, her mind wandering. She opened her blocked contacts list, and sure enough, Micah had tried calling her five or six times. She hadn't answered, but she could guess what it was about. He'd found out about Emma's miscarriage and was blaming her, calling just to vent his anger.

Her phone continued to buzz with notifications—several group chats had tagged her. Ivy couldn't bring herself to care about any of this drama. She rejoined the group chat.

Dale: Where'd Mrs. Smith go? @Mrs.Smith Jay: Dr. Handsome vanished, too. We were chatting and then poof, both gone. Bob: They always disappear together—must be telepathic or something. CoachMurphy: Maybe they're off having a private chat again?

Seeing their wild guesses, Ivy quickly chimed in: Just had to take a call.

No sooner had she hit send than Dr. Handsome reappeared as well: Just had to take a call.