- 4.
I was so upset that I bought some flowers
and went to visit Mom’s grave.
On the way home, a car swerved and
slammed into me.
I jumped out of the way, tripped, and fell into
a flower bed, getting torn up by thorns.
く
Sierra got out of the car, a nasty smile on her
face.
“Oops, did I scare you? I just wanted to play a
little joke.”
That was it.
I slapped her across the face.
“Sierra, what the hell? Human lives aren’t a
joke! Not a game to win Chad over!”
“You killed my mother, wasn’t that enough?
Now you want to kill me too?”
Sierra’s face darkened.
“It’s your fault for hogging the Mrs. Lancaster
spot! You wouldn’t let go, so I had to do
something about it.”
She grabbed me and pushed me into the lake.
The freezing water closed over my head.
Before I could react, Chad jumped in.
My instincts made me reach for him.
But he swam right past me and grabbed
Sierra.
“Evie, I know you can swim. And I saw you
slap her. Don’t pretend like you’re innocent.
Either climb out and apologize to Sierra, or
stay in there and think about what you did.
I’m not going to spoil you anymore!”
He only cared about Sierra.
He didn’t see the cuts on my body.
He didn’t see the blood spreading in the
water.
He didn’t see me sinking.
Chad didn’t wait for me to give in.
He grabbed Sierra and left, not even looking
back as I called for help.
He didn’t know that Sierra had hurt my ankle
in the crash, so I couldn’t swim.
The water was freezing, and I lost all my
strength.
The last thing I saw before I blacked out was
a guy jumping into the water, swimming
toward me.
When I woke up, I saw a young, handsome
face.
He smiled.
“You’re finally awake! You’ve been out for
days. I was so scared.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not a creep. I’m Gabe
Harrison, a student at A&M. I just happened
to be passing by and saved you.”
I thanked him and offered him a check.
He raised an eyebrow at all the zeros, but he
didn’t take it. He just asked for my number.
I didn’t have any other friends or family.
Gabe took care of me for days.
On the twenty–seventh day of the waiting
period, I was finally discharged from the
hospital.
Gabe saw I was still weak, helped me into a
chair, and took care of the paperwork.
As soon as he left, I saw Chad and Sierra.
The waiting period was almost over, I didn’t
want any trouble.
But Chad grabbed me and slapped me in the
middle of the hospital.
“Evie, what the hell is wrong with you? I leave
you alone for a few days, and you’re already
hooking up with some boy toy?”
I froze.
He hadn’t asked how I was doing, or why I
was at the hospital.
He just saw and assumed the worst.
So that was what “open marriage” meant.
Only for him.
Sierra stepped forward and took Chad’s arm.
“Honey, don’t be mad. Maybe Evie was just
trying to get your attention.”
“I forgive her for last time. Don’t get upset.
You’ve been working so hard to take care of
me.”
That was like throwing gasoline on a fire.
Chad’s face went white. “Apologize to Sierra.
<
Then go home and explain this boy toy
situation. You’re not allowed to leave the
house without my permission!”
I didn’t say anything, and Chad got even
angrier.
“I said, apologize! Or I’ll cut off your mother’s
treatment!”
He knew exactly where to stab me.
But Mom was already gone.
His threats meant nothing.
I shook off Chad’s hand, ignored his anger,
and walked away.
When I got home, I packed my bags and
blocked Chad’s number.
Waiting for the end.
On the twenty–eighth day, Chad sent a solid
gold orchid.
On the twenty–ninth, a set of jewels worth
millions.
I contacted a lawyer, made sure Chad
L
couldn’t take them back, and moved
everything to a private vault.
On the thirtieth day, Chad came home.
He tried to hug me, all sheepish.
“Baby, I was wrong. I looked into what
happened with you and Gabe, and it was all a
misunderstanding. But I was just so jealous,
that’s why I hit you. The heart doctor from
Switzerland is coming tomorrow, I promise,
they’ll fix Mom.”
“And after she recovers, we’ll go on vacation.
I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
Too late.
Tomorrow, we’d be done.
I stepped back, looked at him calmly.
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”
Chad stared at me for a long time.
He stayed with me until late, but then Sierra
started texting, and he left.
He looked at me one last time.
“I’ll be back soon. We’ll go to the hospital
with Mom tomorrow.”
I watched him go.
Then, as soon as he was gone, I grabbed my
suitcase and walked out into the night.
Leaving behind only the divorce papers.
And a lawsuit against Sierra Bloom.
