A thick silence followed, pressing down on the room. The kind of silence that lived inside the walls of the Bellandi estate, where even the guards outside the door knew when to stop breathing. It lingered, uncomfortable and heavy, until Celeste suddenly broke it, her tone turning light again, almost playful.
"Is this mango fresh?"
The shift was so abrupt it felt unreal.
As I stepped out of the room, my movements slow and steady despite the weakness still clinging to my body, she walked toward me, holding the fruit out with a soft, sweet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her smile appeared half a beat too quickly, then vanished just as fast when she remembered she was supposed to look concerned.
"Could you taste it for me, Serafina?" she asked gently. "I'm pregnant, so I can only eat fresh ones."
Her voice was syrupy, coated in false innocence.
Dominic's chest rose and fell visibly as his eyes landed on my pale lips. For a fleeting second, something flickered across his face.
He remembered.
I'm deathly allergic to mangoes.
Today had already been chaotic, messy, out of control. I could see the hesitation in his posture, the slight tightening of his jaw. His signet ring turned once along his knuckle. He was just about to stop her, just about to say something.
But I didn't give him the chance.
Without a moment's pause, I reached out, grabbed the mango from her hand, and shoved the entire fruit into my mouth.
The motion was sudden, almost violent.
Juice burst between my teeth as I bit down hard, spilling from the corners of my lips, sticky and sweet as it ran down my chin. I chewed desperately, swallowing the taste that would soon turn into poison.
Perfect.
This should be the last death.
Finally.
Relief, faint but real, flickered through me.
But before I could even swallow properly, Dominic rushed forward. His hand clamped around the back of my neck, fingers digging in as he forced my head forward.
"Spit it out!"
His voice cracked with something dangerously close to panic.
He forced my mouth open, making me spit out what I hadn't yet swallowed. The next second, a sharp slap landed across my face, loud and unforgiving, the impact sending my head snapping to the side as heat exploded across my cheek.
"Are you trying to die?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fury. "You know you're allergic to mangoes! Dying once a day isn't enough for you?!"