Then Sophie saw me.
Her eyes widened.
Not with relief.
With terror.
Because she thought my arrival would make it worse.
That was the final knife.
“Step away from my wife,” I said.
Penelope froze.
Slowly, she turned.
The transformation was immediate.
Her shoulders softened. Her mouth parted in wounded confusion. The monster vanished so quickly it felt rehearsed.
“Nicholas,” she breathed. “Thank God you’re home. Sophie is having one of her episodes. She tried to refuse her medication while holding the baby.”
I looked at the capsules in her hand.
“What medication?”
Penelope blinked once.
