Chapter 10 - The Counterfeit Cure and the Desperate Gamble
Upstairs in the nursery, seven-year-old Lila was sitting on the carpet, running her small hands over a tactile Braille storybook I had bought her the previous week.
The nursery door swung open.
“Lila, sweetie,” Elena purred, stepping into the room with the silver tray. “Mommy brought you a delicious bowl of chocolate pudding to help your eyes get better.”
Lila stopped touching the book. Her little body tensed. Even without her sight, the innocent child could sense the dark, suffocating aura radiating from the woman standing before her.
“I’m not hungry, Elena,” Lila said softly, clutching the book to her chest. “Daddy said I should wait for him to come home.”
Elena’s smile instantly vanished, replaced by an expression of cold irritation. She set the tray on the dresser and walked over to the little girl, grabbing her firmly by the upper arm.
“Your father isn’t here, Lila,” Elena hissed, pulling the child to her feet. “And you are going to eat every single bite of this pudding right now like a good little girl.”
“No! You hurt my arm!” Lila cried out, struggling against Elena’s grip. “Let me go!”
“Shut up!” Elena snapped, dropping all pretense of maternal affection. She grabbed the silver spoon, scooped up a generous portion of the poisoned chocolate pudding, and forced Lila’s head back. “Eat it!”
May you like
BAM!
The heavy double doors of the nursery were violently blown off their hinges, splintering into a thousand wooden shards across the room.
