The women were getting along better than I thought. Klara had only been in Silverwood for a few hours but she had charmed my wife away. The two of them were currently lost in some discussion about some celebrity women had a huge crush on. I may not know much about Angelica but I knew my sister, which is how I knew what she was doing. She was roping my wife into discussions about men to make me jealous. What I hated most was the fact that it was working. It was already enough that she had disappeared for hours last night and I had to battle the urge to go looking for her. I didn't even know when she returned, she'd been out so late. It was infuriating that I didn't even have the right to know where she was or who she was talking to. And just when I thought I couldn't possibly be angrier, my evil nephew climbed onto Angelica's lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. I would have thought he was only doing it because he liked her but when Angelica showered him with attention and fon

One year ago. “What’s a woman’s greatest weapon?” The Viper asked me, hovering over me with his intimidating frame. It wasn’t how tall or bulky he was that terrified me, but the thought of what he would do if I got his question wrong. I had to think about it for a while. If he had asked that question a year ago, the answer would have been different. But after spending two and a half years getting me ready for an inevitable battle, he soent the last six months teaching me how to learn a man and get under his skin. He certainly wasn’t looking for answers like “her skill” or “her wits”. “Her beauty?” I tried, trying not to cower away when he inched closer. “Her tears, silly.” He brushed past me and sat down in the seat exclusively reserved for him, which looked more like a burgundy throne and was also the only chair in the room. “It’s time for you to master the art of crying. I want you to be so good at it that you can cry on command and stop on command.” That was the most ridiculou

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot of Silverwood Psychiatric Hospital, mother sprinted over and practically wanted to jump into the car when I didn’t get out fast enough. Her illness had turned her into the purest version of her I had ever seen.Instead of smiling and pretending to be alright while the world crumbled down on her, she wore her emotions on her sleeve now with the innocence of a child. She allowed herself to feel things she wouldn’t let anyone see before, to whine about not liking it here because it kept her away from me. Sometimes I thought of it as a blessing in disguise—only if she was honest could I truly take care of her.“Curtis!” she punctuated her screech with a warm hug and went on a rant about how much she missed me. It didn’t take long for her to take notice of Angelica who had just gotten out from the passenger door. “Is this your wife? Heavens, she is more beautiful than in the video call. Come on closer, dear.”Angelica’s cheeks flushed as she walked

Curtis“What kind of results do you hope for?” Klara asked as soon as I arrived at the hospital changing room. I had made my way over earlier so I would have an unhurried conversation with her before she got ready to go into the OR. I reclined against the table without answering her. The last thing I wanted was for her to make a prank out of it once she knew what I was hoping for. “It’s not my business. Just spill it.” “Alright.” She gave me a white envelope, which I frantically opened and let my eyes trail to the end of the document. I had no interest in the genetic mumbo jumbo filling the rest of it. “Less than 1% DNA compatibility?” I read aloud, glancing at Klara. “What does that even mean?” “They could be total strangers and the tiny percentage is because of how low the quality of their samples was.” Klara took off her wedding rings with a mischievous grin. “Or, it could mean they originated from the same clan. Distant relatives. Have you ever randomly met a stranger and they

Just because I had managed to weave my way out of the impending predicament didn't mean Spider was off the hook. I was still going to kill him for randomly making such a huge change in our plans. He was neither at the hospital nor his house when I decided to pay him a visit, returning just as I let myself in through the window. "Where were you?" He instantly went on the defense. "I have a life that doesn't involve you, Angelica." That should have been an acceptable response but it wasn't. I was certain of it now. Spider was hiding something. Knowing pestering him would only be counterproductive, I went straight to the point. "Is Klara so identical to Meghan that you mixed them up?" "Who cares which Arciero comes first or last? They are all ending up in the same place anyway." He huffed and tried to get away. I grabbed him by the shirt. "Are you trying to get us killed? We had a plan." I admonished him. It wasn't just any random plan. The aim was to kill them off in an order that