Chapter 1 - The Dark Living Room
The sharp impact rattled the picture frames against the hallway drywall.
Beckett slammed Claire into the corner wall of their dimly lit living room with savage force. Her head struck the plaster, her vision blurring instantly into cold dark spots as her knees gave out beneath her.
Standing near the marble entryway, Mary pulled her dark tweed jacket tight around her shoulders, watching her daughter-in-law collapse without a single drop of pity in her icy blue eyes.
"Not the face this time, Beckett," Mary said in a calm, perfectly clear tone, smoothing her pearl necklace. "The judge will ask too many questions if she has visible facial swelling before tomorrow's competency hearing."
Beckett adjusted his navy blue suit sleeves, looming over Claire's limp body as dark crimson blood dripped from her elbow onto the polished hardwood floor.
"She’s done, Mother," Beckett muttered, kicking a stray sofa cushion out of his path. "By noon tomorrow, the court will grant me full power of attorney over her estate, and she’ll be locked away in a private psychiatric facility."
May you like
Claire lay paralyzed on the cold floor, her breathing shallow, but inside her closed fist, a tiny black metallic pin hidden in her shirt cuff flickered with a faint, imperceptible red light.
👉 What secret was Claire hiding about her true profession while living with Beckett for the past three years?
