Chapter 31: Shattering

15 November 2025

The drive back to Fulham was quiet and thankfully uneventful. The clock turned over to Saturday morning shortly before the uppermost tip of the Shard came into view on the London skyline. The hour on the road gave Bob time to process what he had done, and what Jenny had wrought as well.

But most of all, even as he watched the road, Bob’s mind was in the back seat, tethered to the girl who sat with her eyes peering forward. He had crossed the Rubicon, and there was no going back. She was his, and soon he was going to have the family he deserved.

Bob briefly stopped back at the club and waited for Jenny to exit. “Gather up your car, and meet us at my house. Give me a few minutes with my wife before you come inside. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”

Jenny acknowledged her Master’s instructions, and closed the door. Meanwhile, Olivia simply waited in the back seat, still peacefully smiling in Bob’s presence.

“We’re going home, Livy,” he said softly.

“Yes, Master,” she responded.

Bob pulled his vehicle to the kerb in front of the townhouse, shifted into park, and turned off the power. He took a long breath to gather himself, exhaled, and opened the door.

“Let’s go, Livy. We need to see your mother. I know she’s… concerned.”

“Yes, Master.”

As Bob strode up the path, with Olivia walking just behind him and to his right side, the motion-sensor lights flooded the front garden in a white glare. His approach was silently announced.

"Livy, I want you to wait while I talk with your mother. I will call for you when it’s time for you to see her.”

“Yes, Master. Whatever you say.”

The two of them entered the house, and he closed the heavy oak door behind them.

"Bob? Is that you?" Mary’s voice came from the sitting room. He could recognise the frayed quality. She was both worried and angry.

As directed, Olivia waited by the entry while he went to face Mary. Mary was sitting on the edge of the sofa, a glass of wine on the table next to a pile of Olivia’s childhood photos she had clearly been digging through. She looked up, her face a map of anxious emotions.

"Where have you been? Where is she? I called you. I called her. I called UCL security, and they said she hasn't been in her room for…" She stopped, her breath hitching as she looked at Bob. "What is that look on your face? What the devil is going on?"

Bob didn't move towards her. He just stood in the centre of the room, appreciating that he was home. This place was about to be everything he had been dreaming of.

"I’ve brought her home, Mary. She's okay. Better than okay."

Mary stood up. Bob could see the shift in expressions, as her maternal relief washed away the instant anxiety. "Where is she then? Why didn't she come in with you?"

“I needed to see you first, Mary. I needed to prepare you.”

The look on her face rapidly changed yet again, as confusion and anger swept in.

“Prepare me? What the fuck does that mean, Bob? Did something happen to our daughter?”

“Mary, there are going to be some changes around here. From now on, you and Livy are going to be focused more on making me happy.”

“What in God’s name are you talking about, Bob?”

“Livy, come in here now.”

A few moments later, Olivia stepped into the room.

"Hello, Mum," Olivia said.

The younger woman stood at Bob’s side, her posture straight, and her head canted slightly to the side. She had a soft smile, and her eyes were fixed on Bob.

"Olivia, are you alright?" Mary asked emotionally. She took one step forward with her arms raised, as if to invite a hug.

Olivia didn't move. She didn’t speak either. She remained as perfectly still as a piece of furniture.

“Mary, Livy is just fine. I think you should sit down though.”

“Bob, what aren’t you…”

“Sit down!” he said firmly.

Mary’s eyes widened. This was the first time he had raised his voice at her in years.

She bent down, collected her wine glass and took a long sip of the red liquid to fortify herself. Then, she sat, her face exhibiting the lines that had always indicated an argument was coming as soon as their daughter was out of the room.

“Mary, I have learned about power. I’ve been wanting this for so long, but I’ve been afraid to admit it. And it’s been eating me from the inside.”

“Bob…”

“Quiet, Mary. I’m talking now. There are going to be changes. The new project has seen to it that I get to have what I desire. And soon, you will be desiring it too.”

Bob turned and took Olivia’s hand. She shivered at the touch.

“Livy, go to your mother and show her that you are alright.”

"Yes, Master," Olivia purred.

Mary’s hand clenched when she heard her daughter speak. The wine glass shattered in her grip, spilling Merlot across the photos of the little girl who no longer existed.

"What did you do to her?" Mary gasped as she hurriedly put down the ruptured glass. "Bob... why did she call you that?"

He turned to face Olivia, and gestured towards Mary with his free hand. Olivia nodded as he released his grasp on her hand.

“I showed her what I want. And now you are going to learn too.”

Bob watched as his daughter slid onto the sofa next to Mary. Jenny had told him about how the virus transmitted, but this was the first time to witness it personally.

And also the first time it had happened by his direction.

“I love you, Mum,” Olivia said softly.

Mary was frozen in place, and Olivia took advantage of the hesitation. She wrapped her arms around Mary, and kissed her firmly.

Bob couldn’t help but become aroused at the transgressive scene he had orchestrated. He knew this was no less than enslavement, and the fact that the target was his wife and Livy’s mother was not lost on him. This shouldn’t even be possible, but it was happening for him and because of him.

***

Suddenly, Mary felt it.

The air in her lungs seemed to turn to liquid lead. A jolt of unnatural heat surged from the point where Olivia’s lips met hers, before it raced down her neck and bloomed through her chest like a spilled vial of ink.

At the same time, her heart, which had been racing in a panic, suddenly missed a beat and then began to pump at a slower frequency. Her muscles felt equally sluggish, as if her brain’s commands were being intercepted and delayed.

Mary was feeling dizzy from her inability to panic. Her thoughts were dimmed under a syrupy wave of emerald light. There was so much, and yet she couldn’t focus on any one thing.

"Livy... what..."

Mary’s voice was thick, her tongue feeling too large for her mouth.

"Just breathe, Mary," Bob said as he moved closer. "Your transition is starting. Don't fight it.”

Mary didn't fall, because Olivia was holding her. Her daughter had a strength that was far beyond what Mary expected from the girl’s slight frame.

She was helpless. And broken.

The last thing she saw before she passed out was the thin trickle of red wine as it rolled off the edge of the table, and fell to the floor.