#Chapter 52: Peonies

Caleb follows me back to my room. I’m annoyed, frankly, because Bethany put a lot of effort into this dress only for me to be unable to truly show it off. But Caleb’s insistence has me moving my feet, booking it back to my room and then to my closet. Bethany is still in the rooms, cleaning up from the masterful miracle she performed on this dress. She looks at me in confusion, yet the moment she sees Caleb coming in behind me, she pales and quickly ducks out of the room, leaving her sewing machine, basket, and other fabrics behind. Caleb doesn’t even glance at her, though he does notice the sewing machine. He glares at it before focusing again on me. I stand outside of my closet door and wait for him to peer inside. “This is why I can’t change,” I tell him. He stills in the doorway to the closet. Then, as he takes a step inside, his entire body tenses, his shoulders going rigid, his eyes flashing red. “Where are the clothes I bought for you?” he says. “I don’t know. Beth