Chapter 5 - The Chandelier and the Iron Taste
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I lay paralyzed on the cold marble, staring up at the grand chandelier as its crystal pendants danced in the morning sunlight. Every breath felt like inhaling crushed glass. My hands lay limp beside me, too heavy to lift, too weak to reach the agonizing pain in my abdomen.
Evelyn descended the stairs with unhurried grace. Her pearl earrings caught the light with every step, swaying gently against her neck. Her silver hair was pinned to absolute perfection, untouched by chaos, unruffled by violence. She stopped right beside my bleeding body, looking down at me with the detached curiosity of a botanist inspecting a withered weed on a pristine lawn.
"You were warned, Clara," she whispered, bending down slightly.
Her powdery perfume filled my lungs, mixing with the sickening scent of iron and blood. She crouched beside me, carefully gathering her cream skirt to ensure it didn't touch the spreading pool beneath my legs.
"Listen to me very carefully," she continued, her voice dropping into a chilling, confidential tone. "Because you may not have much time. Lose the child, or lose your life. My son needs a wife who can secure this family's future, not a pregnant nobody who thinks romantic love makes her an equal."
I tried to push words past my bloodied lips, but only a wet, broken wheeze escaped. My vision was tunneling, the edges of the room dimming into a profound, suffocating darkness.
Evelyn pulled out her smartphone. Her expression shifted instantly, transforming from cold malice into a mask of frantic, theatrical terror. Her breathing hitched, her eyes widened, and when she tapped the screen to dial, her voice rang out across the empty mansion with Emmy-winning perfection.
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"Yes, please! I need an ambulance at Armitage House immediately!" she cried out, her voice cracking with manufactured despair. "My daughter-in-law fell down the grand staircase! She’s nine months pregnant! There’s blood everywhere! Please hurry!"
She was still weeping artistically when the wailing sirens began to echo up the long driveway.
