Chapter 2 Chapter 2 – The Glass Collector

The faint crack echoed in the silent kitchen like a gunshot. Emily froze, heart slamming against her ribs so hard she felt it in her teeth. The 1912 Baccarat champagne flute—paper-thin crystal, bought for a small fortune from a seller who swore it had once belonged to a long-dead French courtesan—sat poised at her entrance, its delicate rim already kissing her swollen, dripping folds. One millimeter deeper and the hairline fracture she had just heard would spiderweb outward, turning the glass into a glittering weapon of exquisite destruction. She should have pulled it out. She should have set it down, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and never touched it again. Instead, her hips gave a tiny, involuntary roll forward. The