Chapter 65
Chapter 65:
June sat on the edge of the massive four-poster bed. The mattress was too soft, and the room smelled of sea salt and cedar — the exact scent of her honeymoon four years ago. Her stomach twisted into a tight, painful knot.
She watched the handle click. The door pushed open.
Alycia stood in the doorway wearing a silk robe, holding a glass of warm milk on a small silver tray. A sweet, concerned smile was plastered across her face.
“June,” Alycia said softly. “Mrs. Lynch thought you might have trouble sleeping in a new bed. She asked me to bring you this p>
June didn’t stand. She looked at the glass, then at Alycia’s eyes. “Bring it here p>
Alycia walked into the room, her smile widening just a fraction as she extended the tray.
June reached out and took the glass. Her fingers brushed the bottom — warm. But the top edge was completely cold. A microwave heating job.
She brought the glass closer to her face without drinking, swirling the liquid gently. Beneath the heavy, fatty smell of whole milk, she detected something off in the viscosity. It clung to the glass in a way that pure milk shouldn’t. Tilting it under the lamplight, she saw it: a faint, almost invisible crystalline residue along the inside of the glass — the telltale sign of an imperfectly dissolved powder. Most people would never have noticed it. But June was a prodigy who had spent ten years in sterile laboratories working with neuro-inhibitors. She recognized the sloppy preparation of a synthetic chemical agent immediately.
June lowered the glass and looked up at Alycia. Her eyes were sharp and cold.
“Do you really think my pharmacology degree from Johns Hopkins was just for show?” June asked.
𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻
Alycia’s smile froze. The muscles in her face twitched and her pupils shrank. She took a quick half-step backward. “I don’t know what you mean,” she stammered. “It’s just milk p>
June stood up, walked past Alycia, and headed straight into the master bathroom. She poured the entire glass of milk down the marble sink and watched the white liquid spiral away, then ran the hot water until every trace of residue was gone.
She turned off the faucet and faced Alycia.
“If you ever try a cheap trick like that again,” June said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “I will call the police. I will have the FDA test your blood. I will ruin you p>
Alycia’s face went pale, then flooded with a dark, ugly red. She spun on her heel and marched out, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her.
June walked over and threw the deadbolt. She leaned her back against the solid wood, and her legs felt suddenly weak. A wave of deep nausea rolled through her.
She looked at the clock. Past midnight.
She could not stay in this house. The air felt toxic.
June didn’t sleep. She sat in the chair by the window until the sky turned a bruised, pre-dawn purple. At five in the morning, she stood up and packed her small suitcase in complete silence. She opened the Uber app, typed in the destination, and waited.