Chapter 4

I got to my feet and looked toward the makeup artist rolling her case in through the far door.

"Why does it have to be me? Why can't it be you?"

I pulled my gaze back and let it rest on Eudora's spiteful face.

She was grinding her teeth, both hands hooked around Everard's wrist.

"Everard, look at her. Even now she twists it back on me."

"I've heard that a person born under a cursed fate can only clear the curse by dying."

Everard turned, and there was panic under the confusion in his eyes.

"So how do we fix it?"

Eudora let out a cold laugh.

"Sacrifice Annette. Otherwise the disasters won't stop for the Hensons."

I gripped the teacup again and, without a second's hesitation, threw its contents into Eudora's face.

"You're the one who married Everard. If anyone's carrying a curse, it's you."

"Wake up, Eudora. Everything happening to the Hensons is because of you."

She stood there stunned, tea streaming down her whole face, leaves stuck to her skin.

When it registered, she flung herself at me.

Her fingers twisted into my hair.

"Everard, call in every bodyguard from your car."

"Right here in this courtyard. Build a fire and burn Annette."

"Trust me. The moment Annette dies, the Hensons' troubles will sort themselves out."

Everard's mind had long since come apart.

He couldn't make a single decision.

He could only go along with whatever Eudora wanted.

Mom and Dad had gone to the station early to meet relatives.

And the makeup artist, who'd made it as far as the door, took fright and left too.

In the whole house, it was just the few of us.

The bodyguards were strong.

I couldn't fight them at all.

I could only let them lash me hand and foot in the middle of a pile of firewood.

Eudora raised a torch, her eyes vicious.

"Sister, you were lost in the first place. Why did you have to come back?"

"There can only be one treasured daughter in the Simmons family, and that's me."

"I won't let you steal my place."

I wrenched at my wrists, but the rope was bound too tight.

There wasn't even a sliver of give.

Not far off, Everard suddenly crumpled to the ground and spat up a mouthful of blood.

"Dora, hurry. The curse on Annette has already reached me."

Eudora looked at Everard, curled up in agony.

In the end she couldn't stand it, and chose to go to him first.

"Everard, what's wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?"

"I'll call a doctor for you right now."

Flustered, Eudora tossed the torch aside.

I stared up at the sky, thick with cloud.

Steve's convoy should be almost here.

I just prayed he'd be faster.

Otherwise these two fools really were going to burn me alive.

She put her phone away and lifted the torch again.

"Goodbye, sister. Safe travels."

"One life to buy peace for the whole Henson family. A fair trade."

The instant the torch hit the ground, the firewood around me caught fast.

The flames closed in on every side.

Afraid the fire would spread, Eudora helped Everard back into the main hall.

Maybe it wasn't my time to die.

Raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Then, in a dense rush, the rain came down.

It smothered the roaring firewood.

I let out a breath, but the brief lack of air still dragged me under.

Eudora scowled and slammed a fist into the door frame.

Then she barked at the bodyguards beside her.

"You. Pour gasoline all around the firewood."

"Let's see which is faster, the rain or the gasoline burning."

The gasoline brought the dead flames roaring back to life.

I woke choking on the smoke, and through it, weak as I was, I made out a figure taking shape not far away.

Steve had finally come.

He plunged toward me through the blaze without a thought for the fire.

"Vivi, I'm late."

He pulled me into his arms and stayed where he was, turning to look at the two hiding inside.

"However you treated Vivi today, I'll take it back from you tenfold, a hundredfold."

Everard was growing weaker by the moment.

What had started as coughed-up blood turned into heaves of black clots.

He clutched Eudora's arm.

"Find me medicine. Something to stop the bleeding."

Terrified, Eudora rummaged through the drawer behind her.

And without meaning to, she turned up the document from Dad's reading the night before.

It landed on Everard.

He coughed a few times and pried the document open with a bloodstained finger.

Just as he was about to reach the name at the very bottom, the one matched to him,

Dad, rushing home, suddenly shouted for him to stop.

"Everard, you can't look at that!"