Chapter 61

Luca froze for a beat before quickly fetching a small stool and setting it down beside the sofa. Jeremy climbed onto it with a defeated sigh, already bracing himself for what he privately called story-time torture. “Let’s go with Sleeping Beauty,” he mumbled, resignation painted across his face. Dominic flipped open the storybook, his deep voice filling the quiet room. “Once upon a time, a princess was cursed by a witch and fell into a deep sleep…” His tone was smooth, detached, almost hypnotic. For the first few minutes, everything sounded as expected. Jeremy’s eyes started to droop, lulled by the rhythmic cadence. And then. “The prince found the princess,” Dominic continued, pausing just long enough for Jeremy to look up expectantly. “He lowered his head… stretched out his hand,” Dominic’s lips twitched ever so slightly, “Tore the princess in two, and swallowed her whole.” Silence. Jeremy froze, eyes wide and unblinking. His little mouth opened in disbelief before trembling shut agai