Chapter 35. The Choice

Samah's eyes widened and she threw the cup away. The contents spilled onto the floor and her mother glared at her.

"Do you know how difficult it is to make this tea? Not to mention the rarity of the ingredients!"

"I want that child."

The mother glared at her.

"You don't know what you want."

"Yes, I do. Calleb doesn't love me yet. But he might. He's willing to try and I'll do everything I can to be a good wife to him."

Mom smiled triumphantly.

"You won't get the chance to give me that grief, Samah. I put poison in small doses in his food for a few months. If he wasn't such a monster, he'd be dead by now, or at least bedridden. But that doesn't matter. I saw blood in the latrine today, after he left. He's dying."

"Why do you want to kill Calleb? Our people chose him to be the father of our future leaders, this is treason... If anyone