We Listened to the Darkness by Sorin Px 451

451–His Second Wife Is Unhinged 

Livia: 

“I don’t know. All I know is that she left for the human city and never returned,” I replied as I took a bite of the steak and closed my eyes to savor the taste. 

“Mm, this is so good,” I added. 

My mother stayed silent, but I knew her eyes were on me. 

“Tell me, Livia, did it happen again?” she asked. 

Her question hit hard. For a second, I thought the gravy had gone down the wrong pipe, and I started to cough. I reached for my wine glass and took a sip, but it did not ease my mother’s tension. She was still watching me. 

“Tell me, did it happen again?” she repeated, this time more firmly. 

“Mom, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered as I reached for the vegetables. 

“Livia, you will not lie to me. I want to know. Did it happen again?” she asked again. Her voice sounded like a warning, and I knew I needed to be honest. 

I turned to her and took a deep breath. 

“It did. A few weeks ago,” I replied, and I watched worry spread across her face. 

“Don’t worry. I told you, I’m fine,” I said as I slowly got up and walked to get a napkin because my mother had forgotten to bring some. 

“And I’m telling you, I’m very cautious. I know what I’m doing whenever I face it,” I whispered as I reached for the file that had slipped out of my bag and I tucked it back into my bag and returned to sit with my mother. 

While we were eating, there were a few things I noticed. I kept feeling this itch across my skin, like something was burning deep inside, right under my left arm. This had been happening for a while. 

In the beginning, it was subtle, especially when I had my first interaction with it. I had not told my it because I knew she would panic, but I guess I had not been careful after all. 

mother about 

After we finished dinner, I got up and helped my mother with the dishes before we sat down to watch the movie. The whole time, I hid how I was feeling. Something was happening to my body, something that was not supposed to happen since I was living with humans. 

“I’ll take a leave. I’m too old to be staying awake,” my mother joked as she got up from the couch and walked 

away. 

I nodded and watched her leave while I grabbed the files and started going through them. 

That was when a call came through my phone. 

President’s wife. 

I would be lying if I said I did not jump at the caller ID. I scrambled to put the file down and grabbed the phone, lifting it to my ear with the brightest smile, as if she could see me. 

“Hello, Mrs. President. I did not expect you to call me. Is everything OK?” I asked, speaking awkwardly because I did not know the proper words or tone to use with her. 

1/3 

45–its Second Wite is Unhinged 

+25 Bonus 

One–on–one interaction with her was uncomfortable, so being on a call with her felt even worse. 

“I want to know what is going on with my husband,” she said sternly. 

“I’m doing as much as I can,” I replied, but I was cut off by a harsh scoff from her. 

“No, no, you’re not. If the previous researcher were here, she would have done a much better job.” 

Her mocking tone made me close my eyes and clench my jaw. I did not want to say it, but her lack of support pushed me. 

“Well, if she were here, I don’t think you would have been married to him,” I shot back before I could stop myself. Because of a certain reason, her