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Chapter 31 - The end of truth

Dora's heart raced as David's footsteps drew closer, heavy against the old wooden stairs.

Harry's small sobs trembled against her neck. She rocked him instinctively, whispering, "It's okay… it's okay…" even as her own pulse pounded in terror.

In the hallway, Kay's heels clicked against the floorboards, the rhythm controlled, graceful—like a predator stalking prey. She had one last chance before David reached the door. One last chance to keep her carefully spun web from unraveling.

She stepped back into the room like liquid shadow, her silk robe whispering as she moved. The false smile was gone now; her eyes burned with pure venom.

Dora gasped, clutching Harry tighter. "Stay away, Kay. He's here. He'll see you for what you are!"

Kay tilted her head, shutting the door behind her with a soft snick. The latch slid into place. Her smile returned—slow, poisonous.

"Sweet old Dora," she murmured, stepping forward, "always underestimating me."

Dora's voice shook, but she held her ground. "One word—just one word—and he'll throw you out. He'll hate you, Kay. Do you hear me? Hate you!"

Kay's laugh was low, intimate, a sound that crawled along the walls. "Oh, darling, he already loves me too much to believe you. But I can't risk you shrieking your little truths, can I?"

She moved closer. Dora backed against the dresser, trembling as Harry whimpered in her arms.

"Please," Dora whispered. "Think of Harry. He's just a child—don't do this…"

Kay's expression hardened. "That child," she hissed, "is the only thing standing between me and everything I deserve." Her hand darted out—fast as a striking snake—and gripped Dora's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes. "And you… you should've died quietly in your sleep."

Dora clawed at her wrist, gasping. "David—he'll find out—he'll—"

Kay yanked her closer, her nails digging into Dora's thin skin. Her voice dropped to a silky, lethal whisper.

"David will mourn you… and I'll hold him through it. I'll wipe his tears. And when he looks into my eyes, he'll see only love. Isn't that beautiful?"

Dora's eyes filled with tears—not of fear now, but fury. She swung her hand, slapping Kay across the cheek with a crack that echoed through the room.

"Monster!" Dora spat. "You'll never win—"

Kay froze for half a heartbeat, cheek blazing red, then smiled—a terrifying, trembling smile. "You shouldn't have done that," she whispered. "You really shouldn't have."

Her hand shot into her robe, retrieving a slim silver letter opener—gleaming wickedly in the dim light. Dora's breath hitched, her eyes darting to the door, to Harry, back to Kay.

"Shh…" Kay soothed, pressing a finger to her lips as if calming a child. "Don't scream, Dora. Let's keep this… elegant."

Dora tried to run, spinning toward the window, but Kay caught her by the shawl, yanking her back. The letter opener flashed, catching the light like a serpent's fang.

Harry screamed. "Grandma! No!"

Dora shoved him onto the bed behind her, spreading her arms to shield him. Her voice was raw, desperate: "Run, Harry! Hide!"

The boy scrambled under the blankets, sobbing.

Kay's eyes flicked to the boy—just for a second—and Dora seized her chance, clawing at Kay's face, drawing blood. Kay shrieked, shoving Dora back against the dresser with brutal strength.

The wood cracked. A lamp toppled, shattering on the floor, sparks scattering across the rug.

"David!" Dora screamed, voice breaking. "Help—"

Kay lunged. The blade sank deep. Dora gasped, eyes wide, her voice strangled in her throat. Her hands fluttered to the wound, dark crimson blooming across her nightgown.

Kay held her upright, whispering in her ear, her breath hot, intimate, twisted:

"Shhh… don't waste your last breath on lies. Look at me… yes, look at me. This is what you get for trying to ruin me."

Dora's knees buckled. Kay eased her down slowly, almost tenderly, as though laying a lover in bed. Her eyes gleamed with a perverse softness. "You feel that? That's life leaving you, Dora. That's silence—sweet, perfect silence."

Dora's lips moved, a faint, wet whisper: "David… she's… a mon—"

Kay's hand clamped over her mouth. "No, no… we can't have that."

Footsteps thundered down the hall. David's voice—closer now, alarmed:

"Mom? Kay? What's going on?!"

Kay looked down at Dora, crouching low, her face inches away. "Listen carefully," she whispered, venom wrapped in honey. "When he walks in, you'll be gone… and I'll be the grieving wife he leans on."

Tears streamed down Dora's face as her body sagged, her eyes fluttering closed. Kay brushed a bloody lock of hair from her forehead and pressed a mockery of a kiss there. "Goodbye, darling."

The doorknob rattled. Kay shot to her feet, heart racing but smile already in place. She turned, sliding the letter opener into her robe pocket, smoothing her hair with a bloodstained hand before wiping it on the sheets. Her robe was dark enough to hide the splatters.

The door flew open.

"Kay—what happened?!"

David burst in, his eyes wide at the chaos—the shattered lamp, Harry screaming from under the blankets, the crimson pooling around Dora's still body on the floor.

Kay gasped, clutching at her chest. "David!" she cried, her voice breaking perfectly. "I—I tried to help her! She—she fell—she wouldn't let me call you—"

David dropped to his knees beside Dora, cradling her lifeless form, his voice raw and cracking. "Mom… Mom! No—no, please—"

Kay knelt beside him, stroking his shoulder, her eyes glistening with crocodile tears. "I'm so sorry, darling… I came in and she was… I don't know what happened—I swear I don't know…"

David's sobs filled the room. He held Dora close, rocking her limp body, his face buried in her hair.

Kay lowered her eyes, hiding the glint of triumph within them. She rubbed his back in slow circles, her voice a soft coo.

"It's okay… I'm here… I'll always be here…"

And beneath her calm exterior, adrenaline still surged through her veins. She glanced at the blood seeping into the rug, at the trembling boy peeking from under the blanket, and whispered in her mind:

One down… one more to tame.

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