"Mommy, that hurts..."
I snapped back to myself and let go. "I'm sorry, Virginia Fox. How about Mommy buys you a little cake later, okay?"
Virginia tugged at the necklace around her own neck, then stared at mine. "I don't want cake. I want to trade necklaces with you, Mommy. Yours is redder and prettier than mine!"
My hand went to the jade pendant at my throat. In the large mirror behind the snake tank, I saw it clearly for the first time: the pendant, originally a pale pink, had turned a deep, unnatural crimson across nearly its entire surface. Only a sliver of pink remained.
Something was very wrong. I spoke deliberately, loud enough for the snakes to hear: "No, sweetie. Daddy had a Spiritual Master bless these necklaces for us. He told us we can never take them off, or the good luck won't work."
Virginia didn't fuss. She just grinned and teased me. "Mommy and Daddy are so in love! You do everything Daddy says!"
Right on cue, the red snake let out a shrill, hissing laugh. That's hilarious. This necklace is a death charm my man had made specifically for her, and she actually thinks he loves her? In my man's heart, I'm the wife. She's nothing but a concubine.