he master suite. I retreated to a guest room, the sound of a baby crying and Molly's

a strange thing happened. Madisyn appeared at the fr

t her shoes. "He said... he said I should s

pe. Was this a change of heart? A recognition

"What game is Clark pla

ly the little girl standing

aid, my voice thick with

owlick in our hair. She was quiet, watchful, her eyes darting between me, Molly, and the baby. I cooked her favorite meal-macaroni and cheese, a fact I'd pried from

r into the bed in the g

macaroni," she wh

ie," I replied, my hea

wasn't a truce.

o carefully designed for Aiden. It was a faint clinking, followed by a soft hissing. A mother

ar. Peeking through the crack, I

from the guest room, steam pouring from its spout. She was tipping it, slowly, deliberately, aim

he was going to kill him. And she was

think.

m, lunging for the k

violently. Boiling water cascaded out, not onto the baby, but

hat stole my breath and made me cry out. I collapsed to the floor, cl

aming, but her screams weren't o

the baby! She tried

He took in the scene in a single, damning glance: me on the floor, writhing in pain; the over

idn't see my horrific burns. He s

ice filled with a chilling disgust

-wailing Aiden, checking him frantically

through the waves of pain. "Ma

e hatred in his eyes. "I knew you were unstab

ir frantic footsteps, the slamming of the front door, the squeal of tires

oor. Alone and severely bur

cold clarity washed over me. He would never believe me. He would never choose me. He

ers of it, died in that moment, extinguished b