SPECIAL CHAPTER 1: The Uninvited Guest
The chopsticks in Mira's hand trembled as Elder Li scrutinized her across the dining table.
"A wife should ensure her husband's appetite is satisfied," the old man said, nodding at Zeid's untouched plate. "Yet yours seems… neglected."
Zeid's jaw tightened. "My appetite is fine."
Mira forced a smile. "Shall I serve you the fish, dear husband?" Her sweetness dripped venom.
Zeid's eyes locked onto hers. "If you insist."
She placed a slice on his rice—too hard, the grains scattering. Elder Li's frown deepened.
Then Zeid did the unexpected: he ate it. Every bite. Even the burnt edge she'd hidden beneath the garnish.
"My wife's cooking is… memorable," he said, slow and deliberate.
Mira's breath hitched. Was that a joke?
Elder Li left unsatisfied. The silence afterward was different—charged, like the air before a storm.
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SPECIAL CHAPTER 2:
The first crack of thunder shook the manor. Mira shot upright in bed, her pulse a frantic drum.
Across the room, Zeid's silhouette appeared in the doorway, backlit by hallway torches. "You're awake."
She clutched the quilt. "The rain is loud."
Another boom. She flinched.
Zeid stepped inside—not toward her, but to the window. He latched the shutters, muffling the storm. "Better?"
Mira stared at his back. This man, who wielded cruelty like a blade, had noticed. Had acted.
"Why?" The word slipped out.
Zeid paused. "A weak wife is a liability." But his voice lacked its usual edge.
Lightning flashed. In that split second, she saw it: his white-knuckled grip on the shutter.
He's lying.