The sun had risen higher than usual by the time Rita stirred from her sleep. Her body felt heavier than normal, her mind clouded from the endless plotting and emotional warfare she'd endured lately. Still, she forced herself out of bed, wrapping herself in a robe and stepping into her slippers.
Downstairs, the house was unusually quiet, Harry already gone to work, and the help likely in the kitchen. Rita yawned and began descending the stairs, one hand clutching the mahogany railing.
Halfway down, her foot slipped.
CRACK.
Her scream tore through the silence like a knife.
"AAAHHHH!"
Her body tumbled violently, hitting step after step—her arms flailing, her head bouncing off the wooden edge. Her robe tangled around her legs, her cry becoming weaker with each roll until sh
