The words sounded harmless.
The tone did not.
I stood up.
“Maybe later.”
Emma had already opened the jar.
She dipped two fingers into the pale pink cream and touched both cheeks.
For three seconds, nothing happened.
The tree lights blinked.
Daniel leaned forward.
Richard did not move.
Then Emma’s smile disappeared.
Her hands flew to her face.
“Mommy…”
The sound of her voice changed everything in the room.
“My face burns.”
I reached her as she began to scream.
“It hurts! Mommy, it hurts! Make it stop!”
Her cheeks turned red almost immediately.
The color deepened in uneven patches while she tried to rub at her skin.
I caught her wrists.
“Don’t touch your eyes.”
Daniel was beside us a second later.
He lifted her beneath the arms while I pulled her toward the kitchen sink and twisted the faucet open so hard the metal handle struck the backsplash.
