"Nadine, you have no leverage now. It's best if you cooperate. Be good, or else—"

I leaned back against the wall.

"Or else what? You'll keep me under house arrest?"

His throat tightened. He didn't answer.

I locked eyes with him.

"Even if I'm the only one left in the Molina family, what about yours? An elder brother imprisoning his widowed sister-in-law—what a fine reputation that would make for the Herrera family."

He tilted his chin slightly.

"Are you threatening me?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"Relax. I won't say a word. After all, Darwin is already dead. From now on, the Herrera family and I have nothing to do with each other."

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.

"Be good. Listen."

As he spoke, his breath drifted lower.

I stared up at the darkness above me, then swung my hand hard across his face.

"Brother-in-law, are you trying to act out some twisted family drama?"

The slap cracked through the air, sharp and loud—snapping him out of whatever he was thinking.

In the faint moonlight, I saw him lick the blood from the corner of his lip. His expression seemed like a starved wolf denied its prey.

I met his gaze evenly.

"Clear-headed now? You can get off my bed."

After he left, I stumbled into the bathroom, flipping open the toilet lid.