Whitney's POV
I remembered David’s birthday—June 6th. So, he’d always had a thing for the number 66.
As soon as I called out the number, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“She picked so fast. Did she actually figure it out?”
“Hard to say. Could just be bluffing.”
“Look at David and his wife’s faces. She obviously guessed wrong. Get ready for steamed snake egg, this is too funny!”
Sure enough, David chuckled lazily. He brushed Andrea’s hair back from her ear and whispered something that made her giggle and squirm away, begging him to stop.
Then he glanced sideways at the butler. “Well? What are you standing there for? Smash it.”
Paralyzed, I watched as the butler stepped forward and took an egg off the foam wall. He held it up for everyone to see and announced, “Since Miss Miller guessed incorrectly, we’ll now crack open her first egg. Everyone, watch closely!”
“No! Don’t touch her!” I screamed, my voice shrill and broken like a skinned serpent. “Please… I’m begging you…”
That egg had faint reddish speckles on the back. It was the last one I’d laid. She hadn’t even developed a human shape yet. Barely two weeks old… how could she survive this?
And then, before I could react, the egg shattered in the air, smashed by the butler's throw. Red fluid exploded everywhere.
Gasps and groans filled the room. Some people turned away, covering their noses.
Even David looked stunned for a second, then he laughed.
“Whitney, didn’t you say these were your children?” he said mockingly.
“Then where’s the child? All I see is some sticky, stinking mess.”
My lips turned ghostly pale, my body shaking with pain that mirrored the shattered remains of my baby.
Servants quickly stepped in to clean up what was left, taking the remaining liquid to the kitchen to be steamed, just as they’d said.
Then the butler turned to me again and said, “Time for the second round, Miss Miller. Please choose from the remaining ninety-eight eggs.”
Then he faced the crowd and added, “Oh, and this time, all guests are invited to join in. If anyone guesses correctly, the egg will be handed over to them, along with the right to decide how to cook it.”
The moment he finished speaking, hands shot up all around the room.
“I bet it’s number 97!”
“No way, number 2’s bigger than the rest. Definitely that one.”
“I think it’s 30—just look at the way it’s shaped…”
Then a soft, gentle voice rang out above the noise.
“Can I join too? I’d love to play along.”
It was Andrea. She raised her hand with a sweet smile. “I touched Whitney’s egg before, just out of curiosity, which made her really upset. That was my fault. So, I want to win this round and give the egg back to her myself.”
“Consider it an apology,” she added, looking earnestly at me.
The room erupted in applause.
“Miss Elledge really has such a kind heart. I mean, they’re just a few eggs for a game, but she’s taking it so seriously.”
“Of course she is. If she weren’t so compassionate, would she have shaved her head and gone to live in a shrine for a year just to pray for David’s recovery?”
“Doctors couldn’t help him, but she did. It’s incredible. She deserves all our respect.”
Under all their admiring stares, Andrea took my hand and said, “Whitney, I know you made up the whole ‘laying eggs’ thing just to stay close to my brother. This game… it’s really our way of helping you let go of your bitterness. You can stop now. Let yourself go—”
I slapped the rosary right out of her hand.
That single motion broke whatever calm still lingered in the room.
David stood up immediately and stormed over, pulling Andrea protectively into his arms.
“She was trying to help you out of kindness,” he growled. “Don’t mistake our patience for permission to act like a monster.”
