The words had barely left my mouth when I heard his thoughts.
A watch this expensive, and I've never even seen one in person. But Carla just buys it without blinking.
Clement stared down at the watch, his eyes a tangle of resentment and triumph. Won't matter soon. Once Dawn's lovesick little soul takes over her body, she'll do whatever I say. Everything the Fox family owns will be mine...
A chill crawled through me, but my expression stayed perfectly still.
I'd assumed Clement actually loved Dawn. Turns out she was nothing but a pawn to him too.
Swallowing my disgust, I fastened the watchband around his wrist with my own hands.
"The band is delicate. It can't take any rough handling, so don't keep taking it on and off."
Clement pressed the watch protectively against his chest. "Then I wouldn't dare disobey."
Over the next few days, I sent Virginia to stay with my uncle, then threw myself into the performance of a lifetime.
Every morning, I made a point of swaying as I got out of bed in front of Clement, bracing myself against the wall just to stand.
"Honey, why do you look so pale?"
He walked over with a glass of milk, concern painted across his face like a mask.
I gave him a weak smile. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Lately I feel drained all the time, like my body doesn't even belong to me anymore."
He furrowed his brow the way he always used to. "Should we go to the hospital?"
I shook my head, deliberately letting the fake pendant peek out from my collar. "No need. Look, the pendant's almost completely red. Maybe once it turns all the way, I'll feel better."
Clement nodded. But I didn't miss the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
On the fourth day, I threw myself down the stairs on purpose.
He rushed over to catch me. "Carla! Are you okay?"
I sucked in air through my teeth, my voice shaking. "Clement... something strange has been happening to me. Sometimes it's like I can't control my own body. Like... like someone else is trying to push their way in."
His hands trembled. Before, I would have mistaken it for worry. Now I recognized it for what it was: the kind of trembling that came from barely contained excitement.
"Don't overthink it. You're just exhausted."
He helped me to the couch, then went to the kitchen to make soup.
But the imported squab I usually ate had been swapped out for cheap chicken, and the smell that drifted out was rank and greasy.
He stopped trying.