“Sit down.”
The words are quiet.
But everyone hears them.
Ruth laughs lightly. “Excuse me?”
“I said sit down.”
Her smile stiffens. “Michael, maybe you should rest.”
“No,” you say. “I have rested long enough.”
The guests go silent.
Ruth’s eyes darken. “Don’t embarrass yourself.”
You roll your chair forward slightly. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you.”
The color drains from her face.
Before she can answer, James enters the dining room with Cole Bennett and two uniformed officers behind him.
Ruth’s wine glass slips in her hand.
“Michael,” she says carefully. “What is this?”
You look at the woman who promised to love you, then tried to turn your body into her prison key.
“This,” you say, “is consequences.”
One officer steps forward. “Mrs. Williams, we need to speak with you regarding an ongoing investigation.”
Ruth laughs once, sharp and fake. “Investigation? Into what?”
James opens a folder.
“Attempted poisoning. Financial exploitation. Fraud. Medical coercion. Conspiracy to gain control over Mr. Williams’s estate.”
The dining room erupts in shocked whispers.
Vanessa covers her mouth.
Evan Brooks, who Ruth foolishly invited because arrogance makes people stupid, slowly stands from his seat near the end of the table.
Cole looks at him. “Mr. Brooks, don’t leave.”
Evan sits back down.
Ruth’s face twists. “This is absurd. Michael is confused. He has been confused for months.”
You nod once toward Amara.
She takes out her phone and presses play.
Ruth’s voice fills the dining room.
Put this in my husband’s food.
It won’t kill him right away.
It will only make him weaker.
The room dies.
No one moves.
No one breathes.
Ruth stares at Amara with pure hatred.
“You little snake,” she whispers.
Amara lifts her chin. “No, ma’am. I’m the witness you forgot was human.”
The words land hard.
