"It was you who slipped in the bathroom, Wendy. You were the one who wasn’t careful, and now you’re blaming Claire?"

I sat on the edge of the bed, my body still aching from the fall.

"You’re not a good wife," he continued without hesitation, his words cutting deep. "You can’t even look after yourself properly. You took vitamins recklessly without consulting the doctor, then refused to care for Zac. Claire was only helping, but instead of being grateful, you lashed out at her?"

I looked up at him, my eyes burning. Not a good wife?

My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. "Not a good wife?" My voice trembled, thick with the anger I was barely restraining. "And what about you? Were you there when I fell? Did you even bother to check what was in those vitamins I took?"

Archie exhaled sharply, as if I was being insufferable. "The family doctor prescribed them to you. They’re just vitamins to support your health—not that it seems to have helped much in the end. And as for the bathroom incident… that was purely your fault."

I let out a cold, bitter laugh. "My fault? You really think, out of everyone in this house, I’m the only one who could ‘accidentally’ take a tumble?"

His expression tightened with frustration. "You always want to blame someone else. If you’d been more careful, none of this would have happened."

I held his gaze.

A liar.

A traitor.

Before I could think twice, my hand darted to the dressing table, fingers wrapping around a pair of scissors. Without hesitation, I dragged the blade across my wrist.

A sharp sting. Then, warm blood spilled onto the floor.

Archie’s eyes went wide in horror. "Wendy! What the hell are you doing?!"

I let the scissors clatter to the floor, my vision blurring. "Just making amends." My voice was eerily calm. "You said I wasn’t a good wife, wasn’t a decent mum… so this is my punishment, isn’t it?"

I staggered towards the door, blood trailing behind me.

Just as I reached it, a soft, artificial voice rang out.

"Archie… I’m scared. Wendy… she’s dangerous."

I froze. Slowly, I turned my head.

Claire was leaning against Archie, gripping his sleeve, her expression one of perfect, rehearsed fear.

Archie hesitated, his gaze flicking between us.

Claire tugged on his arm, voice frail. "Archie, I feel dizzy… Can you take me to the hospital?"

Archie looked at me for a long moment. Then, as always… he made his choice.