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Dinner continued, but my appetite had vanished. The rest of the family seemed to accept Catherine’s announcement with minimal fuss, of course they would, it their sister and it's Damon's mother, continuing their conversations as if nothing significant had happened. I took another gulp of wine.

---

Penelope stared at the bloodied letter on the desk in the middle of her sitting room, chewing on her nails and drowning out the angry, cursing voice of her mother upstairs.

Just what kind of mess had she gotten herself into? She wondered, sniffing. Just what did her greed get her into?

The ping from her phone pulled her out of her sad reverie. With shaky hands, she picked it up from the table, careful not to drop it. It was a message from ‘X’ again, with threats to keep her mouth shut. The familiar wave of fear washed over her, making her heart race.

Suddenly, a loud shatter from behind startled her, and she could swear her heart almost jumped out of her chest. All her attention had been o