Her voice dropped low, laced with vicious delight. "You didn't know, did you? That miscarriage you had? It happened because I drank herbicide."
My eyes flew open.
"You were writhing in pain, bleeding everywhere. I watched the whole thing, and I loved every second of it." Her shoulders trembled with quiet laughter. "Damien knew too. But he never blamed me."
Every drop of blood in my body went still.
No wonder he'd had tears in his own eyes that day, yet ordered everyone not to investigate.
"This child wasn't meant to be. There's no use dwelling on it."
"We'll have another. I promise you."
The fresh flowers replaced daily for weeks. The sudden trips. The gifts that came out of nowhere. All of it had been to keep me distracted.
But that child was the one thing I'd wanted to leave behind for him, something to remember me by once I was gone.
I ground my teeth until they ached. "That baby was innocent. It wasn't even born yet."
She scoffed. "Blame the little bastard for picking the wrong mother."
Rage surged through me. I forced myself upright and slapped her across the face with everything I had.
She didn't hit back. Instead, she ripped the bedsheet free and set it on fire.
Then she splashed gasoline she'd hidden behind the cabinet across the floor.
Flames roared to life. She let out a piercing scream.
The fire alarm shrieked overhead, and frantic footsteps pounded closer from the hallway.
She turned to me with a slow, curling smile.
"So tell me. Who do you think he'll save first this time?"
I looked at that radiant, grinning face and sank my teeth into her neck. The taste of rust flooded my mouth.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Damien's roar exploded from the doorway.
"Damien! She hit me, she bit me, she's trying to burn me alive! Save me!" Alma's voice cracked into a wail instantly, and she crumpled toward him, trembling.
In the same breath, a boot slammed into my chest and sent me flying.
Damien scooped Alma into his arms and glared down at me where I lay crumpled on the floor. "You want to die?!"
My lips parted. No words came out.
There was no point in arguing, because the System's voice had already begun.
[System upgrade complete. Host will now be extracted from this world.]
[Detected: Host has exceeded mission parameters. Triggering newest function — 'Truth Revealed'!]
[Target: Damien Ashford. Every misunderstanding from the past will be brought to light.]
His eyes met mine, and whatever he saw in them made his body lock up.
"We'll deal with this later. Stay here, don't move. I'm coming right back for you."
He turned and carried her away.
My consciousness began to pull loose.
I watched his silhouette flicker through the flames, and a laugh slipped out of me.
Damien, there is no "later" for us.
