Before you can harm a person unnoticed, you must first arrange that no one who loves them is watching, and the simplest way to do that is to convince them their family is the enemy.

She never had to say a cruel word about my children.

She only had to be wounded, softly, whenever they came near, until I began keeping them away to spare her feelings, and did not notice that I had done exactly what she needed.

Chapter 4 — A Second Chance

For the first several months, Dulce was wonderful.

We traveled.