Chapter 7

Emmeline’s POV

I forced my attention back to the cutting board and resumed slicing with more vigor than necessary. The knife came down with sharp, angry chops.

As I worked, I reminded myself of an important lesson my mother had ingrained in me since I was a young girl: All men are alike, deceitful snakes hiding venomous cores under their handsome faces!

“Maybe I shouldn’t generalize based on one bad experience,” I mused aloud to the empty kitchen. “But I’ve had enough of their mind games and crap to know better by now.”

The vegetables were thoroughly massacred before tossing them into a sizzling wok. The satisfying hiss and pop of oil momentarily drowned out my troubled thoughts.

My eyes drifted to the microwave’s clock as I stirred the colorful recipe. It was only a few minutes or so until my husband Richard would return home from his job at the hospital.

Almost on cue, I heard the familiar rumble of his car pulling into the driveway.