Chapter 3 - The Cold Resolve
"How could you do this?" Audrey demanded, her voice dropping into a steady, lethal register. She didn't scream. The absolute, terrifying restraint she showed was infinitely more dangerous than throwing a tantrum.
Beverly scoffed, aggressively crossing her arms over her chest and entirely dismissing the shattered child sobbing on the floor.
"Oh, grow up, Audrey," Beverly sneered condescendingly. "It's just hair. It will grow back. You coddle this child completely. Appearances aren't everything. She needs to learn that she isn't better than anyone else just because she has pretty hair."
Audrey stood up slowly from the hardwood floor.
She placed a gentle, fiercely protective hand on Chloe's small shoulder, keeping the little girl safely behind her legs.
Audrey looked dead into Beverly's eyes. She realized that Beverly didn't care about humility. Beverly was a bitter, jealous narcissist who couldn't stand the fact that her young granddaughter received more attention and compliments than she did. She had violently assaulted a nine-year-old girl just to break her spirit.
"You're right, Beverly," Audrey whispered lethally, her face hardening into an unbreakable, terrifying mask of absolute resolve. "Appearances aren't everything."
May you like
Without breaking eye contact, Audrey slowly reached into her back pocket.
👉 What explosive, life-changing object is the mother about to pull out?
