Chapter 2

Kaya stepped out of the study. Her feet sank into the thick, plush carpet of the second-floor hallway.

She walked toward the grand sweeping staircase. Her hand gripped the mahogany railing, her knuckles white. She descended the stairs and moved straight toward the open-concept kitchen on the first floor.

She needed water. Her throat felt like it was coated in ash.

Kaya walked up to the massive marble island. She grabbed a glass, filled it from the chilled dispenser, and drank it in three large gulps. The freezing water hit her empty stomach, making her shiver.

"Mrs. Maddox?"

Kaya turned. Helen Mercer, the estate's head maid, stood by the massive industrial stove. She was stirring a large stainless-steel pot. A thick, pungent herbal smell filled the air.

Before Kaya could answer, the rhythmic tapping of a wooden cane echoed against the tile floor.

Eleanor Maddox, the matriarch of the family, walked into the kitchen. Her sharp eyes locked onto Kaya.

Eleanor walked up to the island and patted Kaya's hand. Her skin felt like dry parchment.

"Smell that, Kaya?" Eleanor pointed her cane at the stove. "That is a premium organic fertility blend. I had it flown in from a private specialist in Los Angeles this morning."

Kaya stared at the bubbling brown liquid. She thought about Grady's voice in the study. I haven't laid a single finger on Kaya in two years.

A bitter, hysterical laugh clawed at her throat. She forced it down. She pulled the corners of her mouth up into a flawless, practiced smile.

"Thank you, Grandmother," Kaya said. Her voice was perfectly steady. "You are too kind to me."

"Nonsense. I want a great-grandson." Eleanor waved her hand. "Helen, pour her a bowl."

Helen turned off the burner. She ladled the boiling hot liquid into a delicate bone china bowl. She carried it over to the marble island, setting it down carefully. Steam rolled off the surface.

Kaya reached out her right hand to take the bowl.

The heavy kitchen doors violently swung open.

Jasmine practically skipped into the room. Her eyes were slightly red, her lips swollen. She looked like a girl who had just been thoroughly kissed.

Grady walked in right behind her. His eyes were glued to the back of Jasmine's head.

Jasmine marched straight toward the island. She didn't slow down. She brushed aggressively past Kaya.

Jasmine's elbow slammed hard into the side of the bone china bowl.

The bowl tipped.

The boiling brown liquid splashed directly over Kaya's right hand and wrist.

Kaya gasped. A sharp, searing agony ripped through her skin. She flinched back, her injured hand flying up to her chest in a desperate, defensive gesture, and a few stray drops of the boiling liquid splashed directly onto her exposed collarbone. The skin on the back of her hand instantly turned a violent, angry red.

The china bowl hit the floor and shattered into dozens of sharp pieces. The sound cracked through the kitchen like a gunshot.

"Ah!" Jasmine screamed. She jumped back, clutching the hem of her designer skirt as if she were on fire.

Grady lunged forward. He grabbed Jasmine by the shoulders and pulled her flush against his chest. His hands moved frantically over her arms and legs.

"Are you hurt?" Grady's voice was tight with panic. "Did the glass cut you, Yue?"

He didn't even look at Kaya. He didn't look at the blistering skin on her hand.

Eleanor slammed her cane against the floor. "Jasmine! You clumsy girl! You ruined the supplement!"

Jasmine buried her face in Grady's chest. Her shoulders shook with fake sobs. "I didn't mean to! Kaya didn't hold the bowl steady! She dropped it on purpose to scare me!"

Grady turned his head. He glared at Kaya. His jaw clenched tight. "Why weren't you paying attention, Kaya? Look at the mess you've made! You scared her."

Kaya looked down at her right hand. Small, watery blisters were already forming along her knuckles. The pain was a constant, throbbing burn.

She looked up at her husband. He was holding the woman he had just been inside of, yelling at his wife for bleeding on the floor.

Kaya didn't cry. She didn't defend herself. She simply took her burning right hand and hid it behind her back.

She looked Grady dead in the eyes. Her face was a blank, emotionless mask.

"I apologize," Kaya said. Her voice was flat. Empty.

Grady froze. He stared at her face. Something cold and unsettling twisted in his gut. Kaya always cried when he yelled at her. She always tried to explain. This absolute stillness felt wrong.

Eleanor stepped forward and grabbed Kaya's left arm, pulling her forward. The old woman looked behind Kaya's back and gasped.

"Good heavens, her hand is severely burned! Helen, get the first aid kit immediately!"

Kaya gently pulled her arm out of Eleanor's grip. She offered the old woman a soft, reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Grandmother. Please don't make a fuss. I just need to run it under some cold water."

Kaya turned her back on Grady and Jasmine. She walked to the stainless-steel sink and turned on the faucet. She thrust her blistering hand under the freezing stream of water.

She stared at the water swirling down the drain. The pain in her hand was nothing compared to the absolute clarity in her mind. She was done.