She crouched, snatched both my hands away from where I'd been pressing them against my stomach.
Her sharp acrylic nails dug into the skin on the backs of my hands.
Blood welled up instantly.
She didn't care. If anything, her smile got brighter.
She shoved the lilies into my arms, leaned close, and whispered against my ear.
"Want to know why these flowers bloom so beautifully? Because of the fertilizer in the flower bed. I go water them every day. I watch them grow. And I watch your hope die."
My stomach seized.
I tore the lilies apart in a frenzy, shredding petals and hurling them into the air.
Petals scattered across the floor.
I scrambled backward on hands and knees until my spine hit the corner of the wall.
"You're a monster! You're not even human!"
Cecil strode over and kicked the water basin across the floor.
Filthy water splashed across my body, ice-cold to the bone.
"Have you lost your mind? Ruby came down here to see you out of the goodness of her heart, and you spit it back in her face? Ungrateful bitch."
Ruby stumbled into Cecil's arms, clutching her chest, gasping hard.
Tears spilling down her cheeks in big, showy drops.