Chapter 31:


    He saw Effie. He saw the white dress.


    He didn’t slow down. He sped up.


    Isolde saw iting. She turned, but not fast enough.


    Kaiden mmed into Effie.


    “Oops!” he yelled.


    The red juice exploded over Effie’s white dress. It looked like a gunshot wound.


    Effie gasped, looking down at the ruin of her clothes.


    “Watch where you’re going!” Kaiden shouted, ying the victim immediately.


    The room went quiet. All eyes turned to them.


    Isolde felt a cold snap in her brain.


    She grabbed Kaiden’s wrist. Hard.


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    “Ow!” Kaiden shrieked. “She’s hurting me!”


    Belle rushed over. “Let go of him! You crazy woman!”


    Grayson was right behind her. “Isolde! What the hell are you doing?”


    Isolde didn’t let go. She looked at Grayson. “He did it on purpose.”


    Grayson looked at Effie’s stained dress. He sighed. “It’s an ident, Isolde. Kids run. Don’t make a scene.”


    “Make a scene?” Isolde repeated. “He ruined her dress. He bullied her yesterday. He assaulted her today.”


    “He’s five!” Belle screamed. “He’s a spirited boy!”


    Daronughed from the side. “She’s just desperate for attention. Sad, really.”


    Isolde released Kaiden. He ran behind Belle, sticking his tongue out at Effie.


    Isolde looked at the waiter passing by with a tray of red wine.


    She reached out. She took a full ss of Cabe.


    She turned back to the group. Grayson, Belle, Kaiden. The perfect family.


    “You think it’s just an ident?” Isolde asked softly.


    “Yes,” Grayson said, adjusting his tie. “Now apologize to Belle for grabbing her son.”


    Isolde smiled. It was a terrifying smile.


    “Oops,” she said.


    She flicked her wrist.


    The wine arced through the air. A perfect, fluid dynamic curve.


    It sshed directly onto Kaiden’s cream-colored suit. And Belle’s silver dress.


    Kaiden screamed. The cold liquid shocked him.


    The room gasped.


    Isolde set the empty ss on a table.


    “My hand slipped,” Isolde said. Her voice was calm. “Just an ident. Kids y, adults spill. Right, Grayson?”


    Grayson stared at her. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked at the wine dripping off his son. He looked at Isolde’s defiant face.


    He realized, with a jolt of horror, that she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Not even a little bit.


    “You…” Belle sputtered, wiping at her dress. “You’ll pay for this!”


    “Bill me,” Isolde said. “Oh wait. You can’t. I have no money.”


    She picked up Effie. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go somewhere that doesn’t smell like garbage.”


    Isolde walked out of the gallery, her head high. She didn’t run. She didn’t look back.


    She took off her ck zer and wrapped it around Effie, covering the stained dress.


    “I’m sorry, Mommy,” Effie whispered into Isolde’s neck.


    “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Isolde said fiercely. “You stood tall.”


    They reached the curb. The night air was cool.


    “Isolde!”


    Daron McKnight came stumbling out the door. His face was red.


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