Weeks passed, and I clung to Jasper to help my heart heal from the loss of my daughter. Miles refused to let me talk about her, which was for the best because it let me focus my attention on Jasper. Watching him grow bigger and stronger was bittersweet. He was no longer going to be my little baby, but seeing him healthy and happy filled me with joy.

I was sitting on the floor in the living room and watching him walk and explore the room. He held onto the couch and table to get himself onto his feet but could walk around the room on his own. He was so curious and would pick up the books and odd knick-knacks on the shelves. As each day passed, he looked more and more like Miles. He had his dark hair and the same large brown eyes. He was growing so fast, making me think he would also be tall and broad like his father. He started talking, and his favourite word was "da-da."

Jasper had two fingers in his mouth and drool bubbling on his chin as he walked toward me. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into my chest. My heart fluttered every time I heard his giggle. I rocked him from side to side as I kissed the top of his head.

A knock on the front door echoed through the home. I held my breath as I tightened my hold on Jasper, causing him to wiggle in my grip. The knocks continued, coming in short, hard bursts.

Who was here? People must have been coming onto our property because we had never run out of meat, but Miles never spoke about it. Who was this? Who was able to get this close?

"Miles," a female voice said through the door. "Miles, are you home?"

I furrowed my brows as I craned my neck to try and see outside. My view was blocked by the couch, letting me only see the bars Miles and Joseph installed to keep us safe from outsiders.

The knocking did not stop. I kept Jasper in my arms as I moved over to the couch. I kneeled on the cushion and peered at the woman standing on our porch.

She appeared to be around my age. Her dark braids were pinned up, and she was wearing a black dress. She continued to knock on the door, and I was unable to see her face.

"Miles, I need to speak to you," she shouted through the door.

How did she know him? A pang of jealousy caused my stomach to twist into a knot. Was this someone he saw when he went into town? I never imagined that Miles would be unfaithful, but horrible thoughts filled my mind.

The wooden porch creaked, and I saw Miles walk around from the side of the house. He froze when he saw the woman. His usual emotionless expression cracked. His eyes widened in shock, and his lips slightly parted. Who was this woman? Had he tried to hide her from me?

The woman did not look pleased to see Miles. She chewed on her lip as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes darted away from Miles and the house.

"Why are you here?" Miles asked. His words were cold.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke. Did she regret coming here? Why would she come to our home?

"I need to speak to you," she said. "I have so many questions. I have had so many questions for years."

Miles glanced into the living room to see me watching them. He ran his fingers through his hair before reaching for his key. Was he going to let an outsider into our home? I watched in horror as he pulled the chain off from around his neck.

The door opened, and I pushed myself off the couch. My knees were wobbly and I refused to let go of Jasper. I walked to the doorway to see the woman was inside. Her eyes scanned over the details of our home as Miles locked the door. When her gaze landed on me, her brows raised. I swallowed past the lump in my throat as I tightened my grip on Jasper. He was pulling on a few strands of hair that I escaped from my braid.

"Is this her?" the woman asked. "She is real? You actually have a wife? Miles, she is beautiful."

"Alice, why are you here?" he asked.

Alice?

The name sparked a memory. Miles had told me he liked Alice growing up, but she married Oliver. Miles killed Oliver a couple of years ago and he was the first person we had to eat to survive. Why did Alice come here? Why did Miles let her into our home?

"I told you I have questions," she said. "There is so much I need to know. Edith told me she saw you in town a few weeks ago. They all told me not to come here. I had to take the opportunity to when they left for the church picnic. I lied and said I was not feeling well."

"These are not questions," Miles said.

Alice uncrossed her arms and wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. She forced a clearly fake smile and stepped toward me.

"I am Alice," she introduced herself. "Alice Thatcher. Miles and I have known each other since we were children."

I looked over at Miles. His face returned to a blank expression, giving me no clues about what to do. He locked the door. Was he going to let her leave?

"Maisie," I said. Luckily, my voice did not waver or crack.

Her smile widened, but still did not seem genuine. She did not seem cruel, but that could have been hidden by her beauty. She was tall and slender. Her cheekbones were high and her lips were full. Her green eyes were flecked with gold. She placed her hand on her chest, and my attention went to her necklace. It was a silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant.

"Your son is adorable," she said.

"These are still not questions," Miles said.

Alice pursed her lips and rolled her eyes as she took a step closer. She reached toward Jasper, but Miles snatched her elbow before she could touch our son. She gasped as she stumbled back into his chest. I placed my hand on the side of Jasper's head and held his face against my chest, blocking his view from whatever was about to happen.

Miles let go of her arm, and I furrowed my brows. Was he not going to kill her?

"Alice, why are you here?" he asked.

She let out a deep breath as her trembling hands pushed the stray hairs out of her face. She tried to keep her fake smile, but I could see the quiver in her lips. Her attention stayed focused on me. Jasper fussed in my arms, causing me to lower my hand from his face.

"Have you seen Oliver?" she asked with her gaze focused on me and Jasper. Miles ran his hand along his jaw as he watched us. "Do you know where he is? You must. He had been so angry with your family when he disappeared. It cannot be a coincidence."

"He has never come here," Miles said.

"Where else would he have gone?" she asked. "He would have never left me. We were happy. We were trying to start a family of our own. Oliver would-"

"You think we killed him."

Miles's words did not come out like a question. It was a statement that cut Alice off. She bit down on her lip and closed her eyes before taking a few deep breaths. Miles's jaw hardened as he reached into his pocket. I caught a glimpse of the wooden handle of his knife.

Without thinking, I took a step back and placed my hand on Jasper's head. My movement caught her attention, and she opened her eyes. Miles grabbed her arm and yanked her back. His movements this time were rougher and caused her to yelp. He pinned her arms to her side and held the blade against her throat. Her wide eyes were still focused on Jasper.

"We do need to talk," Miles said.

I furrowed my brows. They needed to talk? I had seen Miles brutally kill multiple people to keep us safe. He had never talked to an outsider before. Why not simply slit her throat?

"Please." Alice's voice cracked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "That is not what I meant. I did not want to start any trouble. I just needed to-"

"You should have never come here," Miles said.

Alice failed to hold back a sob as more tears fell. Miles pushed her forward, down the hallway, and into the kitchen. I stepped into the living room and set Jasper onto the couch, not wanting to witness whatever Miles was about to do. Alice's cries rang through the home, but Jasper did not seem bothered. He smiled and giggled as I wiggled the old teddy bear in front of him.

"Maisie!" Miles called out. "Come here!"

I placed the bear in Jasper's small hands. I hated having him out of my sight, but I did not want him to see whatever bloody scene might occur in the kitchen. I hurried into the kitchen to see Alice was still in Miles's arms. She was thrashing in his grip, and the edge of the blade had sliced into her flesh. Blood rolled down her throat and onto her chest. Miles lifted his chin to gesture to the table.

"Pull out one of the chairs," he told me.

I nodded as I hurried over to the table and pulled one of the wooden chairs away from the table. Miles was able to easily overpower Alice as he forced her to sit in the chair. She touched her injured neck, and blood coated her fingers. When she looked at her hands, she sobbed even harder. Her body shook as she struggled to breathe. She put her hand on her chest, smearing streaks of blood across her necklace.

Miles crouched in front of Alice. He wiped the knife on his trousers to clean her blood off his blade. His face was not a blank expression, and the corner of his lips lifted into a smile. It was not the warm loving expression I had seen him show around Jasper and I. Instead, there was something cold behind his smile that caused my stomach to twist into a knot. I should have walked away and gone back into the living room with Jasper, but I was unable to move.

"Please." Alice was crying so heavily that I could barely understand her. "Miles, don't hurt me. Please! I will not say anything. I will not tell a soul that-"

"Alice," he cut her off. "Why did you come here?"

"I thought." She was gasping for breath to try and stop her tears, but was unable to control herself. "I thought that maybe...Maybe you knew..."

"Why do you think I killed Oliver?"

Alice let out a noise that was a mixture of a sob and a scream as she buried her head in her hands. The smile on Miles's lips grew a little wider.

"I never did anything to either of you," he said. "You decided to treat me like I was a freak. Oliver told you so many stories, and you believed every one of them."

"Miles." She sobbed, but did not lower her hands. "Please, I never did anything."

"I loved you once, but I was never good enough for you."

Miles's words were only like a knife in my heart for a brief moment. My jealousy washed away when he looked at me. His cruel smile transformed into the warm expression I loved. He may have once loved Alice, but that was now all history.

He waved his hand, motioning for me to come closer. My bare feet padded across the cool floor. Alice kept her head in her hands, but her crying turned into an awful sound. Miles grabbed my wrist and forced me down so I was kneeling in front of the woman.

"I never needed you," Miles said. "None of us ever needed any of you. Vincent and Oliver should have stayed away."

Alice shook her head violently, like she was trying to deny what he was saying.

"I would have never hurt you if you stayed away," he said. "But you came here to question and accuse me."

In a quick movement, Alice lowered her hands and grabbed the front of his shirt. Her face was red and splotchy, and her eyes were bloodshot. Blood from her hands left streaks across her forehead. Miles's usual blank expression returned as he looked down at her white-knuckled grip on his shirt.

"Miles, you love me," she said. "Remember that you love me. Don't kill me and I will do anything you want. Anything. Absolutely anything."

He grabbed one of her wrists are ripped it away from his shirt. He twisted her arm into an awkward angle, and I heard the bone snap before Alice's ear piercing scream. I flinched and pushed myself back.

"You think I want a whore?" he asked, and his voice was calm. "I love my wife. Maisie is perfect."

Alice tried to speak, but her words were an incoherent mess. Miles twisted her broken wrist even further back. Her scream caused my skin to crawl.

The back door opened, and Joseph rushed into the kitchen. His eyes were wide and was panting for breath. When he saw Alice, he rolled his head back and raked his fingers through his hair. Alice's screaming did not stop, and Miles did not let go of her wrist.

"You scared me," Joseph said. "I thought somebody was hurt."

Joseph stopped next to Alice and crossed his arms over his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut as she shook her head, gasping for breath between screams.

"Miles, get it over with," he said. "It is not worth a headache."