Out of respect for his work, I agreed to keep the snakes in the basement.
A few days later, he gave Virginia and me each a jade pendant on a chain.
"Sweetheart, thank you for always standing by me, you and Virginia both. I got these blessed jade pendants from a temple. Once the jade turns completely red, you'll be surrounded by good fortune for the rest of your lives."
His knees were scraped raw. My heart ached for him, and I was so touched that I fastened the pendants around my neck and Virginia's right away. I wouldn't even take mine off to shower.
I had no idea he wanted to trade our lives for theirs.
Fighting through the searing pain in my chest, I photographed every message on that phone. Then I put everything back exactly where I'd found it, as if I'd never been there at all.
There was so much left to do. For Virginia's sake, I couldn't afford to panic.
That same night, I reached out to a more authoritative Spiritual Master. Following his instructions, I removed Virginia's necklace and replaced it with a custom replica, then took the blood-red Cursed Jade Pendant straight to my uncle's farm.
I picked the fattest sow on the property and hung Dawn's pendant around its neck, then told my uncle to keep a close eye on it.
"Don't slaughter this one until I call you. Once everything's settled, I'll wire you half a million dollars. After that, you can butcher it or keep it. Your call."
My uncle nodded eagerly, practically bouncing on his heels.
"Don't you worry. She's a breeding sow. I need her for piglets. Unless she drops dead on her own, this one's going to spend her whole life giving birth!"
I stared at the fat, floppy-eared sow and smiled coldly to myself.
Dawn always did love a thrill. I'd make sure she got one.
After leaving the farm, I paid a premium to have the other pendant sealed inside the face of a Patek Philippe watch, then delivered it personally to the research institute where Clement worked.
When I arrived, he was still running data analysis, his profile sharp and composed, the picture of cool elegance.
Looking at him, no one would ever guess how selfish and vicious he truly was.
I buried the hatred in my eyes and handed him the gift box.
Clement's face lit up. "Babe, what are you doing here?"
I smiled and took his hand. "I was out shopping and spotted a watch that's perfect for you. I wanted to give it to you myself."