eviscerated his proposal with a quiet, surgical precision that left him feeling like an idiot child. He'd been dism

ored the

ed. He was on a video call with Kenia, pacing in the living room.

a sparked in

she stripped off her own clothes, pulling on the shirt. It fell to her mid-thigh, the sleeves dangling past her h

padded silently to

"Baby, I promise, there's nothing going on. It's

o walk past the sofa, directly

she said, her voice a drowsy murmur. "Have you

ked to a mask of horror. She saw Hope, wearing A

rom the phone's speaker, and the sc

s performance art. Understanding, followed b

E PE

innocence. "What? I'm ju

essant buzz. Kenia. He didn't have time

ook that promised murder, and sla

t, she thought wit

d fell into a deep

oft, unfamiliar chime sliced through the air. It

ng from her

impossibly thin, crafted from black, seamless metal, with a single, pulsing silver 'M' on the back. It

ounded agai

ge control with Kenia. He heard the strange, melodic tone. His eyes, bloodshot and

n't hers. A cold, vengeful thought seized him.

d the room while Hope was still pushing h

e phone from t

nswered