But I noticed that before she picked up anything for herself, she used the serving chopsticks to put a piece into my bowl first.
It all came out of the same pot. Nothing about it looked wrong.
I played along and ate a few bites.
A few minutes later, my stomach twisted with a sudden, wrenching cramp.
My brow knotted tight, and cold sweat broke out all at once.
"Cora, what's wrong?" Freya leaned in, her face all concern. "You went pale so fast."
"My stomach hurts. I need to use the restroom." I pushed back my chair and stood, my legs a little unsteady.
"Want me to come with you?" She made as if to rise, but something gleeful flickered deep in her eyes.
"No need." I waved her off and rushed for the restroom.
The second I crouched down, it hit me like a tidal wave.
Clutching my stomach, I suddenly realized something. My lemon passion fruit drink, the one Freya had hinted she wanted to trade with me, the one I'd turned down. Before she ever said a word, her fingers had already brushed the rim of my glass.
Had she slipped a laxative into my drink ahead of time, timing it so I'd be away from the table?
This was bad.
I straightened my clothes as fast as I could and pushed the door open.
At the end of the hallway, the dining room had already dissolved into chaos.
Freya was slumped in her chair, bright red blood running down between her legs, sliding along the seat and dripping onto the white floor tiles. The sight turned my stomach.
Her face was bloodless, both hands pressed to her belly, broken moans escaping her lips.
"Oh my God! Someone's having a miscarriage!" A woman at the next table shrieked.
"Call 911! Is there something wrong with this restaurant's food?"
Gus came barreling out of the kitchen, his face gone gray. "Impossible! There is nothing wrong with my ingredients! I'm calling the police right now!"
I hurried over, and just as I opened my mouth, Freya lifted her head.
Her face was streaked with tears, and one trembling hand rose to point at me.
"Cora... we've been like sisters for over ten years... why would you hurt my baby..."
The whole room went silent in an instant.
Every pair of eyes swung to me at once.
A chill crawled up my spine. "Freya, what are you talking about?"
Through her tears, Freya pointed at an open box of braised duck on the corner of the table. "You brought this duck, said it was a new item from your family's restaurant... to celebrate that I was pregnant... I ate two bites and my stomach started hurting..."
"I did not!" The words burst out of me. "I never brought any duck! You told me yourself you weren't pregnant. How could I possibly..."
"I told you the moment I found out I was pregnant!" Freya's sobbing shot up an octave. "I trusted you that much! Why would you do this to me? Just because I married a husband who adores me, and I'm carrying a son... you're jealous enough to do this?"
"Jealous of you?" I was shaking with rage. "In what way is my fiancé any less than your husband? Why would I need to be jealous of you?"
"Then how do you explain this box of duck?" An older woman nearby had had enough, pointing at the braised meat on the table. "Young lady, did you bring it or not? The cameras will show it, won't they? Have the owner pull the footage!"
Gus had already run back to the kitchen, dripping with sweat, and was out again in under a minute, holding up a tablet.
He turned the screen around to face the whole room. "The duck really did come out of this girl's bag!"
On the screen, I was sitting at the table, pulling a brown paper bag out of my purse and setting it down in front of Freya.
My mind went blank with a roar, like something detonating inside it.
That was me on the screen. But I had never done this.
"And there's this." Gus swiped the screen again. "Riley up front tried to stop her, said we don't allow outside food, but this girl said her best friend was pregnant and had a craving for it, so Riley let it go."
