locked inside the guest bed

rning down into her esophagus. Her head throbbed in

rnoon, she heard the shi

oved away toward the main elevator

d herself o

toward the door. To her surprise, the latch turned smoothly-the

ty hallway, moving toward th

ck, turning the faucet on. She gulped down two full glasses of

lic click echo

spun a

ald silk dressing gown. In her right hand, she casually flicked open

ped flame danced

lara," Vivian whispe

d backed away, her spine pressing again

s just getting water. I'

" Vivian asked, her voice silky smooth as she circled the isla

father burn to death in the old manor. Ever since, the sme

plummeted. "What

f her left arm, she knocked three bottles of

hing across the floorboards and soaking into the baseboards. T

nged forward to grab her

t Zippo directly into

upward, catching the kitchen cabinetry in seconds.

elding her face with her arm

elled, turning tow

oze in abso

e left forearm and deliberately shoved her flesh directly i

illed the air, followed by a bloodcurd

ra is trying to bur

inklers engaged with a violent hiss, unleashing a deluge

re kicked off their hing

primal panic. He saw the fire, smelled the burning flesh, a

via

hering the remnants of the flames, and pulled h

cally, pointing her blistered, blackened fingers at Clara. "She said if

turned h

dshot, completely consumed b

ara's wet throat before she could even form a syllable. He slammed her

ominic roared, his spit

zed shut, cutting

p, suffocating purple. Her feet dangled inches off

aged to wheeze out. "She

screamed, his voice

to the flooded floor, her ribs taking the brunt

the hallway. "Call the privat

ained, leaving behind charred drywall a

a in the secondary living room, wra

tailored grey suits. He dropped a thick stack of legal documents

sterile as a scalpel. "You will surrender all claims to the Montgomery estate, waive all futu

by the window smoking a heavy cigar, t

ing from the cold, "I admit to an attempted murder I

wing a thick stream

s file to the NYPD right now. Attempted murder of an heiress. Aggravated arson. You will be indi

th caught in

eral

child would grow up in the state foster care system,

exact pressure point t

n. She stared at the black lines on the paper, the tears

voice dropping into a flat, rasp

hrough the smoke. "You have

unyielding finality. "Do not touch my child. The day after I give birth, I will sign away my rights to your n

the dead, empty re

hest-a strange, unnamable ache that made h

wling as he tapped the ash from

minic said c

ed the pen

me across every single line, each stroke of the bl