"I'll only explain this once. Do you believe me or not?"
Before Marlin could answer, Vera dropped to the ground and burst into wailing sobs.
"Oh, brother! My poor, poor brother!" she howled. "You left this world too soon, and I took care of his widow and child! I never stopped helping them!"
"My own kids couldn't even get a hot meal, but I scraped together every penny to buy the best formula for little Marlin!"
"Now he's all grown up, thinks he's too good for family, and he lets his wife bully me!"
"Oh, brother! Come back and see what's become of your son!"
Marlin's face went ashen. He grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, his voice low and urgent.
"She's not well in the head. Why are you getting into it with her?"
"Just apologize so we can move on. We're going to miss the auspicious hour."
"The auspicious hour?" I let out a cold laugh.
I'd already expected this from Marlin. The disappointment barely stung anymore.
"An apology isn't going to cut it!" Vera shrieked, jabbing a finger at me. "She attacked me! I want compensation for emotional distress!"
"You hear that?" Marlin turned to me. "Your aunt-in-law wants compensation."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"Just give her whatever she wants. How long are you going to drag this out? The hotel charges overtime fees!"
I shoved Marlin away. Inside, I felt nothing. Still water. A dead calm.
"How much do you want?"
Vera held up her hand, all five fingers splayed.
"Vera, that's outrageous! I just transferred half a million to you. What do you need another fifty thousand for?"
Her eyes darted sideways, and she shook her head.
"Not fifty thousand. Five million."
"Sure."
I smiled. It didn't reach my eyes.
Vera sprang off the ground like she'd been launched by a catapult. Marlin's eyes went wide.
"Five million? Where would you get that kind of money?"
Fair enough. My father had only told him I worked at a government office. He'd never mentioned what I actually did. In Marlin's mind, I was probably just some low-level clerk with a rigid schedule.
I pushed him aside and looked at Vera, one eyebrow raised.
"Five million? I have it. But that's the price for beating you within an inch of your life."
Something flickered behind Vera's eyes. Maybe she remembered how I'd caught her hand mid-swing with one arm. Her gaze darted around, recalculating.
Then she cleared her throat and spat deliberately on the hem of my dress.
Her thick, rough hand shot out and closed around the necklace at my throat.
"Tell you what. I won't make this difficult. Take off this necklace and give it to me, and I'll let you both inside."
"Are you planning to die tomorrow? Is that why you're grabbing at everything you can get your hands on today?"
I pried her fingers off.
"Don't touch it. You couldn't afford to replace it if you broke it."
This necklace was one of a kind. My mother had flown a designer to our home to craft it for me personally. Every element was gold and diamond, and there wasn't another like it anywhere in the world.
"I already grabbed it. What are you going to do about it?"
Vera had spent her younger years doing farm labor. Her grip was iron. She ripped the necklace clean off my neck in one brutal yank.
Tiny diamonds scattered across the floor like spilled teeth. A thin red line burned across my throat where the chain had been.
"Vera, can you stop this already!"
The sharp sting of pain woke something I'd kept buried for a long time. I rolled my neck slowly, eyes narrowing to slits as I fixed them on her.
"The last person who left a mark on me? The grass on their grave is fifteen feet tall."
The biometric bracelet on my wrist detected the spike in my heart rate and let out a shrill, piercing alarm. Vera had no idea what was coming. She was still running her mouth.
"Who do you think you're scaring? Grass on their grave? You're thin as a stick. I could snap you in half with one hand."
Marlin clutched his head and let out an exasperated shout.
"Enough!"
"She wants your necklace, just give it to her! What is all this back and forth about?!"
