CHAPTER 1 — The Glass That Changed Everything
Emma always believed she had built the perfect life.
A beautiful home.
A successful husband.
A sweet little daughter named Lily.
From the outside, they looked like the family everyone envied.
But behind the spotless kitchen counters and expensive marble floors, something had quietly died years ago.
Every evening, Emma poured herself a glass of whiskey while Lily sat beside her coloring pictures at the island.
It wasn't because she loved drinking.
It was because she needed something to silence the nightmares.
Lily looked up innocently.
"Mommy... will Daddy come home tonight?"
Emma forced a smile.
"He always comes home... eventually."
Just then, the front door slammed.
Her husband, Daniel, walked into the kitchen much earlier than expected.
His face instantly turned pale.
"What... what are you doing?"
Emma calmly raised her glass.
"Having a drink."
Daniel wasn't looking at her.
His terrified eyes were locked on Lily.
Because in front of the little girl...
...sat another crystal glass.
Half full.
The same amber-colored liquid.
Daniel exploded.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
He rushed across the room, knocking the glass onto the floor where it shattered into hundreds of pieces.
Lily burst into tears.
Emma didn't move.
She simply watched him with an expression so cold it frightened him.
"You finally noticed," she whispered.
Daniel stared at her in disbelief.
"What kind of mother gives whiskey to her own child?"
Emma slowly looked him straight in the eyes.
"It isn't whiskey."
Daniel froze.
His heartbeat stopped for a moment.
"If it isn't whiskey..."
"...then why does it smell exactly like it?"
Emma smiled.
"That's the question you should be asking."
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And for the first time in years...
Daniel realized he might not know his wife at all.
