After Meili scurried away, Maya sat down heavily, her hands still trembling.
'This is necessary,' she told herself. 'That girl is destroying everything. My marriage, my status, my power in this household. She needs to be removed.'
'It's self-defense, really. Protecting what's mine.'
But no matter how she rationalized it, a part of her knew she was crossing a line that couldn't be uncrossed.
If this plan succeeded, she would have blood on her hands.
But if the plan failed...
'It won't fail,' she told herself firmly. 'It can't fail. I've planned too carefully.'
'By this time tomorrow, the servant girl will be gone. Removed from my life forever.'
'And everything will go back to how it should be.'
She almost believed it.
---
''[Heena and Samuel's Quarters - Late Night]''
Heena couldn't sleep.
She lay on her sleeping mat, staring at the ceiling, her mind too active to settle into rest.
