Her smile faltered, replaced with a knowing look. “You saw the spiders, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “My son mentioned them. Are you alright?”

She sighed, a delicate hand brushing over the sequins of her dress. “It’s an old family curse,” she confessed softly. “A reminder of mistakes made long ago. They follow me wherever I go.”

I blinked, processing her words. It sounded like something out of a fairytale, yet there was a sincerity in her eyes that made me believe her. “Is there anything that can be done?”