"Silly Joseph, this is Auntie Claire." Colin grabbed the boy, pulling him behind his legs like a shield. His voice dripped with practiced helplessness. "Ruby, listen. It was just one time. Claire and I took him to the amusement park, and I casually mentioned Auntie Claire would protect him like a mom. I didn't expect him to take it literally..."
As he finished his frantic explanation, he glanced at Claire. His eyes didn't hold apology—they rippled with lingering, sickening intimacy.
The scene before me was clearly a tacit family of three.
When they'd visited the amusement park no longer mattered. The betrayal was already woven into the child's vocabulary.
I looked at Claire. She opened her mouth, then closed it, hesitation written across her face.
I raised my left hand.
She could have blocked it. She saw it coming. Yet she let it fall.
Smack.
The sharp sound echoed through the hallway, punctuated by Colin's startled gasp and Joseph's frightened shriek.
I quietly admired the result. The red handprint on her left cheek now perfectly matched the one on her right.
"So you've already become a mother, Director Vance." My voice was dangerously calm. "Deeply devoted. Congratulations."