My vision went black. The last thing I saw before I collapsed was Benedict rushing toward me, panic etched across his face.
This time, he was more attentive than ever, hovering by my side nearly twenty-four hours a day.
"Phoebe, Mom was just angry. I was afraid that if I spoke up for you, it would only make her worse. You have to understand—being caught between you two puts me in an impossible position."
Before, he'd never said anything like that.
Vivian watched the scene unfold, her expression darkening.
That afternoon, my phone rang.
On the other end, my mother was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. The news of my father's car accident struck like a bolt of lightning straight through my chest. When I saw his body lying there, cold and still, I shattered completely.
By the time we finished making the arrangements, it was the middle of the night.
I dragged my exhausted body home, and the moment I saw Benedict, the dam broke. Tears poured down my face.
After I told him everything, he pulled me into his arms, his voice thick with emotion. "Phoebe, don't worry. I'll get justice for your father. I'll make sure whoever did this pays for it."
My eyes burned with fresh tears. I placed every last shred of hope in him.
The next day, I found him holding Vivian in his arms while she wept.
"Benedict, what are we going to do? My brother killed Phoebe's father in that accident. She'll never let him go..."
"Please, talk to Phoebe for me? Convince her to let my brother off."
Benedict's face was half-swallowed by shadow.
After a long silence, I heard him speak. "Don't cry, Vivian. Crying too long isn't good for your health. I'll take care of it. Here's a plane ticket. Have your brother fly overseas for a while, let things cool down."
Something inside my chest cracked apart.
The blood drained from my face. A high-pitched ringing filled my skull.
Benedict, is this what you meant by getting justice for my father?
He slid the forgiveness agreement across the table toward me.
"Babe, I just bought a new penthouse. Your name's on the deed—it's my way of showing you how committed I am to you and only you."
He was so certain I loved him blindly that he was convinced I'd believe this was nothing more than a property agreement.
"Is that so?"
His eyes darted. He pressed his hand over mine before I could flip to the next page. "Babe, I've got things at the office that need my attention. Just sign it, okay? Don't you trust your husband?"
How am I supposed to trust you, Benedict?
Was it when you left me alone in the delivery room? Or when you decided to let my father die unavenged so you could protect Vivian's brother?
Days of swallowed grief and buried pain finally erupted all at once.
I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. "You knew it was Vivian's brother who killed my father, and now you're shoving a forgiveness agreement in my face, asking me to personally pardon the man who took his life. Do you think I'm some kind of fool you can toy with?"
Benedict's pupils trembled. "Phoebe... you already know."
"Fine. Since you already know, I won't hide it anymore. Vivian's brother is the only male heir in her family. And it wasn't intentional. Your father ran a red light in the rain. If you ask me, he had it coming."
Had it coming?
A knot of fury lodged in my throat, too heavy to swallow, too bitter to spit out.
I'd seen the surveillance footage from that intersection. My father had the green light. Now he was dead, and they still had the nerve to smear his name.
Vivian suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me, clutching the baby to her chest. "Phoebe, I'm begging you. If you forgive my brother and keep him out of prison, I promise I'll take the child and leave. I'll disappear from Benedict's life for good."
She knocked her forehead against the floor, tears streaming down her face.
Something pained flickered through Benedict's eyes. He moved to shield Vivian and the child. "Phoebe, when did you become so unreasonable? Your father's death was an accident. Are you really going to destroy an innocent man's future over this?"
My heart felt like it had been placed on a millstone, ground down again and again, until the pain was so immense I could barely breathe.
