Chapter 2

I raised my head and smiled at Claire. "Could you feed me?"

She hesitated, clearly not expecting that, then sat down beside me with her usual warm expression. "Since when did you turn so clingy?"

"Because you're my cousin," I said, blinking at her with the sweetest smile I could muster. "You've always been the one who loves me the most, haven't you?"

Something strange flickered behind her eyes, but she still scooped up a spoonful of oatmeal and lifted it toward my mouth.

Just as the spoon was about to touch my lips, I let my hand jerk as though by accident, sending the entire bowl tumbling onto her dress.

The hot liquid streamed down the white fabric, and Claire let out a yelp as she jumped to her feet.

"Lily!" For the very first time, she lost her composure right in front of me.

I immediately made my eyes go red and let my voice shake. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. My hand just slipped."

Her face flushed as she clutched the soaked hem of her skirt. It took her a long moment, but she finally forced out a smile. "It's all right. Don't worry about it. I'll just go change."

When she turned to leave, her back was so rigid it looked like a bowstring drawn to its absolute limit.

I watched the door close behind her, then wiped the remaining oatmeal off the sheet with a tissue and dropped it into the trash bin.

The commentary flickered back on. [She did that on purpose, didn't she?]

[No way. Lily's not that clever.]

[Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe it's just a coincidence.]

I picked up my phone and typed out a quick message to "L." [I'm coming twenty minutes early.]

His reply came almost at once. [Alright. I'll wait for you in the south lounge.]

Before I could send another word, the door swung open again.

Claire had reappeared in a fresh white dress, though the brooch was nowhere to be seen. She was doing her best to act as though nothing had happened, her voice carefully measured as she handed me a glass of mango milkshake.

"Since the oatmeal is ruined," she said, "I had someone bring you your favorite drink instead."

The commentary went wild.

[Holy shit. She's still at it?]

[Pretty sure that's laxatives. In the last timeline, Lily drank this and ended up with such bad stomach cramps that she never made it to the meeting.]

[Claire is absolutely vicious, and I can't look away.]

I smiled sweetly and took the glass from her hands. "Thank you."

She stood there watching me as I lifted it to my lips.

I pretended to take a small sip, then turned my back the moment her phone rang and poured the entire contents into the flower pot sitting by the window.

Five minutes later, she came back with just the right amount of worry written across her face. "Lily," she asked softly, "are you feeling alright? Any discomfort in your stomach?"

I pressed a hand to my lower belly, let my complexion go pale, and gave a timid nod. "A little bit..."

A flicker of triumph passed behind Claire's eyes, though her expression only grew more anxious. "That milkshake must have been spoiled. Tell you what, why don't you just stay in tonight? I'll go over to the Lewis family's place myself and smooth things over for you."

"Okay," I agreed meekly.

I even reached for her hand and gazed up at her with the most grateful look I could manage. "You're so good to me, Claire. If it weren't for you, I'm sure they would have taken advantage of me completely."

She gave me a satisfied little smile. "I'm glad you realize that."

After Claire left, I sat in silence for ten minutes, waiting until the last click of her heels had vanished down the stairwell before I finally rose to my feet.

I pulled a spare jacket from the closet, changed out of my loungewear, and pinned the pearl brooch back over my chest.

The woman staring back at me from the mirror had a pale face, but her eyes were cold enough to cut glass.

I let my gaze drift down to the commentary scrolling across my vision.

[Claire's already on her way out.]

[If she gets taken away by Mr. Lewis tonight, she's got this whole thing locked down.]

[Lily's probably still glued to the toilet right now. This is too good.]

"Sorry," I whispered to my reflection. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint all of you."