Chapter 5

Hatred lay buried deep in my heart.

That evening when I returned home, Dashiell and Ember were crouched on the floor, playfully roughhousing.

When they saw me, Ember collapsed entirely into the man's arms.

"Oh, Aria, Dashiell and I were just playing with the kids. Look how happy they are. You don't mind, do you?"

Dashiell stroked Ember's head. "Ember's just like a child. Darling, you should take care of her like a big sister."

He glanced down at the woman's smooth toes, secretly swallowing.

Then, picking up her shoes, he knelt halfway to the ground. "Ember, the floor's cold. Put your shoes on."

"Oh, and why don't you go make dinner? Ember wants beef with mushrooms."

He wasn't pretending anymore. He probably really thought the poison had taken effect, that I wouldn't leave him.

But I'm severely allergic to mushrooms. He knew that.

How quickly can a man's heart change?

I went to the kitchen to cook, wearing a face mask.