Chapter 1 - THE CRUSHED PLATE
The golden hour sun cast long, amber shadows across the manicured lawn of the estate.
On the stone patio, five-year-old Luke stood shaking, his tiny hands clutching a white ceramic plate against his chest.
A sharp, silver-ringed hand lashed out, striking the rim of the dish.
The plate flipped through the air, shattering on the flagstones beside a pool of dark gravy.
Luke fell backward onto the stone, his khaki shorts staining with grease as he burst into loud, terrifying sobs.
Standing over him, Evelyn smoothed the front of her beige skirt suit, her double strand of pearls glistening in the warm light.
Her short silver hair didn't have a single strand out of place.
She looked down at the child on the ground, her thin lips twisting into a cold sneer.
"Garbage cooks garbage," Evelyn said softly, her voice carrying across the quiet garden like a frost.
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She didn't reach down to help him.
She simply crossed her arms, watching the boy weep into his knees.
