Chapter 3

Arthur was still incredibly busy. He left early the next morning.

By the time he returned a few weeks later, the bruise on my forehead had faded. My hacked hair had grown out slightly, looking like an edgy pixie cut.

Arthur was surprised at first, but then he smiled.

"Our Lily looks great with short hair too! I know what this is—it’s called a cool, modern look, right?"

I hesitated, wanting to say something, but the moment I caught Clara’s warning glare from the kitchen, I kept my mouth shut.

Soon, it was my sixteenth birthday.

Arthur said he had missed too many of my birthdays because of work, and he promised to make it up to me this year.

He started planning two weeks in advance. He ordered a cake from the best bakery in town and took a whole day off just to spend it with me.

On the morning of my birthday, he woke me up early, excitedly holding out a small velvet box.

"Happy birthday, Lily! My baby girl is another year older."

I opened the box. Inside was a delicate silver locket.

Arthur smiled and clicked it open. Inside was a photo of him from his younger days—handsome, tall, and smiling.

"When I’m not around, this locket will protect you for me."

A warmth bloomed in my chest, and my eyes grew hot.

But when I looked up and saw Clara standing in the doorway, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

She was standing there in her messy loungewear, hair uncombed, face pale.

She stared at the locket in my hand with a look of pure, consuming madness.

Arthur followed my gaze and smiled at her. "Clara, look at this. Doesn't it look beautiful on Lily?"

Clara didn't say a word. Slowly, very slowly, she pulled her lips back into a smile that looked more like a corpse's grimace.

Cold sweat broke out across my body. I instinctively reached up to take the necklace off.

But Arthur stopped my hand. "Keep it on. It’s your birthday present from me."

That day, Clara was unusually quiet.

She even cooked a big dinner filled with my favorite foods. She kept putting food on my plate, smiling warmly the entire time.

But underneath that calm surface, I could feel a volcano ready to erupt.

Sure enough, by evening, Arthur’s phone rang. It was an emergency at work. He had to fly out immediately.

"Lily, I’m so sorry. I can’t stay to blow out the candles with you," he said guiltily, stroking my hair. "When I get back, I promise I’ll bring you an even bigger present to make it up to you, okay?"

I grabbed the edge of his coat, shaking my head desperately, my eyes begging him.

"Don’t go, Dad. Please don’t leave me alone with her."

But he didn't understand.

He just thought I was being affectionate. He smiled and comforted me, "Silly girl, I’ll be back before you know it."

The front door clicked shut. His footsteps faded down the hallway.

The apartment fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

Clara slowly stood up. Her slippers dragged against the hardwood floor. Step by step, she walked toward me.

I froze, too terrified to look back.

"Did you have a nice birthday?" her voice whispered from behind me.

A shiver ran up my spine.

She walked around to face me, then knelt down so we were eye-to-eye.

She reached out, her fingers gently tracing the silver locket around my neck. Her touch was incredibly soft, as if she were handling a priceless treasure.

"It’s so beautiful," she whispered. "So much more beautiful than the one he gave me the year we got married."

Suddenly, her fingernails dug viciously into my skin.

"You cheap little slut... are you trying to steal my husband from me now?"