He left—only to return not long after. Under the cover of night, he drove me back to my own home.
"Aren't you leaving, Brother-in-law?" I asked as I watched him instinctively change his shoes in the entryway.
Without looking up, he replied, "Mom is not in a good mood lately. Staying in my late brother's home isn't exactly an intrusion, is it?"
"Of course not... Brother-in-law."
I bit down hard on that last word. His movements paused.
When he finally looked up, his gaze was cold enough to cut.
I turned toward my bedroom, but his voice stopped me.
"Tomorrow is my succession ceremony. You should attend."
I didn't reply. The only answer he got was the sound of my door closing.
The wedding photo was still hung on the wall—me and Darwin, smiling at each other as if no one else existed.
Now, he was living in the guest room as "Terrence," and under the same roof, we were both thinking about how to end the other without a trace.
Sometime in the night, heat prickled across my skin. Warm breaths ghosted against my neck.
I jolted awake.
There was someone in my bed!
Terrence's dark eyes stared straight into mine, unblinking.
"Don't move, Nadine."
His breath fanned over my nose, heavy and invasive.