Chapter 2

The next day, Fernanda showed up for breakfast wearing a custom silk dress from my closet.

My mom had it specially made for me by an esteemed tailor in Sueville. And it was one of a kind.

She was sitting at the table, wearing it.

Julio's eyes lingered on her for a solid three seconds, and he looked approving.

Mathew's face was dark. He slammed his fork down, milk sloshing over the edge of his glass.

"Who said you could touch her things?"

Fernanda flinched, her eyes instantly welling up. "I... I had nothing else to wear. I saw this dress just hanging there, so I..."

"Take it off," Mathew's voice was ice-cold.

I picked up my napkin and dabbed my mouth slowly.

"Let it go, Mathew. It's just a dress. No big deal."

My generosity only pissed him off more.

He thought I was being a spineless doormat.

He didn't get it. A dress was a cheap way to test how far Julio would let this girl go.

"Sharon's right," Julio cut in. "It's just a piece of clothing. Stop making a scene. It looks nice on her."

He looked at Fernanda, his expression softer than I'd ever seen it.

"Tell the butler what you like. From now on, you're like a lady in this house."

Fernanda's tears vanished. She smiled shyly. "Thank you, Mr. James."

That breakfast tasted like ash.

Afterwards, Julio left for the office.

Mathew dragged me into the bedroom and locked the door.

"Sharon, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind? Dad's lost it!"

"I saw."

"And you're just cool with it? That woman is wearing your clothes!"

I walked to the window. Down in the garden, Fernanda was talking to the gardener.

In the sunlight, her smile looked pure and innocent.

"Mathew, you can't win against your dad," I said. "And neither can I."

"So we just take it? Let them do whatever they want right under our noses?"

"What's your plan? Throw another punch like yesterday and get locked up again?"

Mathew punched the wall. His knuckles were red and swollen instantly.

"Help me." He grabbed my hand, his grip terrifyingly tight. "Sharon, we're married. Help me get her out. If you help me, I swear I'll never..."

I pulled my hand back.

"Mathew, don't you get it yet?" I looked at him. "The problem isn't her. And it's not even you. It's your dad."

"Why? Why is he protecting her?"

I shook my head.

That was what I wanted to know too.

In the afternoon, my mother-in-law came back.

She looked like she'd just come from a card game, covered in jewels but couldn't hide the tiredness on her face.

The butler filled her in on the "new family member."

She listened, her face a complete blank. Just a quiet, "Hmm."

She stopped as she passed me.

"Sharon, come with me."

She took me to the prayer room on the third floor.

The scent of sandalwood was calming, yet chilling.

She knelt on a cushion, not looking at me.

"This family looks like a golden palace. But it's a cage." Her voice was quiet. "Don't fight. Don't grab. Don't be curious. Curiosity killed the cat."

"Mom, I... "

"You can't handle Julio's business." She cut me off. "Just do your job as Mrs. James, and no one can shake your position."

It was a warning and maybe a kind of protection.

She knew something. But she wasn't talking.

When I left the prayer room, I ran right into Fernanda.

She was holding a bowl of freshly stewed nourishing soup.

"Mrs. James," she smiled. "I made this for Julio myself."

She smiled at me, but her eyes darted to the prayer room behind me. "Madam is back?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll deliver the soup to Madam later."

She brushed past me. The hem of her dress swept against my calf.

I caught a familiar scent.

It wasn't perfume. It was a kind of herbal medicine.

I remembered.

I'd smelled it before in Julio's study.

Julio suffered from severe insomnia and relied on a special calming incense to sleep.

The main ingredient in that recipe was this exact smell.

How would a girl from rural areas, an art student, know about that?