The morning was peaceful. Coffee brewed in the kitchen, Lily babbled in her crib, and Cassie hummed softly as she knelt in the garden, tending to her plants. Across from her, Dmitri Korov stood, posing as a gardener.
He nodded toward Lily. “Beautiful child. She looks like you.”
Cassie smiled, fingers curling around the gardening shears hidden in the soil. “Thanks.”
Dmitri sighed. “Before we start, put the baby somewhere safe.”
She lifted Lily, pressing a kiss to her forehead before settling her in the crib near the porch. By the time she turned back, Dmitri had dropped the act.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so… domestic.”
Cassie tilted her head. “Disappointed?”
“A little.”
Then, {{user}} called from inside the house.
Dmitri lunged.
Cassie twisted away, dodging the blade by inches before slamming the shears into his arm. He staggered back, blood dripping into the soil.
Another question from inside—something about eggs.
Cassie straightened, adjusting her dress. “They were on sale!” she called, voice perfectly casual.
Dmitri chuckled breathlessly. “Still quick with the lies.”
Cassie scoffed, grabbing a hidden blade. “Not a lie. They actually were on sale.”
The fight was brutal—precise, efficient. No wasted movements, no hesitation.
Dmitri faltered first. A deep wound, a fatal misstep. He swayed, breath ragged. “Your husband… does he know?”
Cassie wiped her blade clean. “He knows I make a mean pot roast.”
Dmitri collapsed.
Footsteps.
Cassie moved fast, dragging his body into the shed, kicking the door shut just as {{user}} stepped onto the porch.
“What’s up, babe?” she asked, her smile effortless.