Chapter 3 - The Boiling Truth
With a trembling hand, Emma slowly unwound the white fabric.
As the last layer fell away, Julian’s jaw locked. A muscle twitched violently in his cheek.
Emma hadn't slipped. She hadn't bruised her wrist on a shelf.
Her skin was bright, furious red, covered in massive, blistering burns that wrapped entirely around her forearm. The flesh was raw and oozing, indicating she had been exposed to localized, extreme, boiling heat just a few hours ago.
Julian slowly turned his head to look at his wife. The look in his eyes was no longer suspicious. It was the look of an apex predator realizing there was a snake in his house.
"She slipped," Julian repeated coldly, pointing at the horrific blisters. "Tell me, Vivian. How does someone 'slip' and sustain second-degree thermal burns on the top of their wrist?"
"I don't know!" Vivian panicked, backing away until her hips hit the edge of the dining table. "Maybe she spilled soup on herself! She's incompetent!"
"We aren't having soup tonight," Julian stated, his voice like cracking ice. "We are having steak. The only boiling water in this entire wing of the house comes from the industrial espresso machine in the pantry."
Vivian swallowed hard. Her diamond earrings shook as she trembled. "I wasn't in the pantry! I have no idea what she did to herself!"
Julian looked back at Emma. The young maid was cradling her burned arm against her chest, openly sobbing now. The pain was excruciating, but the fear of what Vivian would do to her family was even worse.
"Emma," Julian said, his voice softening, stripping away all of his terrifying authority just for her. "I swear to you on my life, you are safe in this room. Look at me."
Emma slowly raised her tear-filled eyes.
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"Who did this to you?" Julian asked.
👉 What dark secret did Emma discover in the pantry earlier that afternoon?
