I ran to our glass banister staircase as fast as I could. I was thankful that I decided to wear flat sandals. I was able to easily descend the two flights of stairs quickly. I scanned the room for Maria and saw her walking towards the main entrance.

“Maria!” I called out to her.

I was about to walk towards Maria when Bram reached me. He grabbed my left upper arm and pulled me towards him. But he was too late. I had already caught Maria’s attention and she was walking towards us. I tried to pull my arm away from Bram but he would not let me go. Instead,...