Hubby made me a cup of coffee which had a very strange smell.…

Just try not to break anything in the study. I nodded and hurried away, my heart pounding. Through the study’s doorway, I could still see them at the table.

Now I just had to wait and watch. From the study doorway I watched Nina lift the coffee cup to her lips, and my stomach clenched with anxiety. Part of me wanted to stop her, to warn her, but I needed to know the truth.

I’d spent too many nights in emergency rooms, too many hours doubled over in pain, always after sharing meals with them. It wasn’t always like this. When I first met James at a friend’s wedding in Nashville three years ago, he was charming and attentive.

Nina had seemed welcoming too, inviting me to family gatherings and offering to help plan our wedding. But looking back, I should have noticed the red flags. The way she would accidentally spill things on my dress at important events, or how my food always seemed to have extra seasoning when she helped cook.

The incident started small, an upset stomach here, a mild allergic reaction there. James always had an excuse ready. Maybe it was something you ate earlier, or you must be coming down with something.

But the pattern was becoming clear. The worst was two months ago, when I ended up hospitalized after eating breakfast at their house. The doctors found traces of something in my system they couldn’t identify, but James convinced everyone I must have taken some expired medication.

I gripped the doorframe, watching as Nina took another sip of the coffee. James was typing on his phone, seemingly unconcerned. My own untouched cup sat cold on the table where I’d left it.

The metallic smell still lingered in my nose, making me shudder. A slight tremor in Nina’s hand caught my attention. She set down the cup, her face suddenly pale.

James, she said, her voice shaking. Something’s wrong. James looked up, his expression changing from confusion to horror as he realized which cup she was drinking from.

He jumped up, knocking over his chair. Nina, what’s happening? Nina’s hands were trembling violently now. I don’t… I feel… She tried to stand but stumbled, grabbing the edge of the table for support.

James, what did you put in that coffee? I stepped out of the study, my phone already recording. James was beside Nina now, his face ashen. That wasn’t supposed to be your cup, he whispered, but in the silence of the dining room, his words carried clearly.

Nina’s eyes widened with realization and fear. Call an ambulance, she gasped, sliding to the floor. Please, I can’t… I dialed 911 immediately, my hands steady despite the chaos unfolding before me.

Nina was on the floor now, her body racked with violent tremors. James knelt beside her, panic written across his face as he realized their plan had backfired spectacularly. Emergency services? Yes, we need an ambulance at 1542 Maple Grove Drive, I said clearly, keeping my phone recording with my other hand.

My sister-in-law appears to be having a severe reaction to something in her coffee. She’s conscious, but experiencing tremors. As I spoke to the dispatcher, Nina’s eyes locked onto mine.

The usual cold calculation in her gaze was replaced by raw fear. Christina, she gasped, you switched? You knew? Ma’am, the ambulance is on its way, the dispatcher assured me. Please stay on the line.

James was growing more frantic by the second. Nina, what’s happening? That wasn’t supposed to… I mean, it wasn’t meant for… Shut up, James, Nina snapped through gritted teeth, her anger momentarily overcoming her distress. This is all your fault.

You said it would just make her sick enough to miss the board meeting next week. You promised it wouldn’t be traced. My blood ran cold.

The board meeting, where I was scheduled to present my proposal for a major client account, the same account Nina had been trying to land for months at our competing firms. Everything started clicking into place. The tea last month, I said, my voice surprisingly steady…