The world detonated.
A roar filled Trudy's skull and the phone nearly slipped from her fingers.
Her voice came out broken, barely recognizable. "No. That's not possible."
"You're lying. I know you are. I was there, I..."
A cold laugh cut her off. "Enough!"
"You're Mrs. Simmons now, too good for the rest of us orphanage kids. Fine. But I never thought you could be this heartless. You sat there and let Matron Grace die."
"Don't contact us again. You go be Mrs. Simmons. We'll take care of the orphanage ourselves."
The line went dead.
Trudy didn't understand.
She had given blood. The nurse had said Matron Grace was improving.
So why was Matron Grace dead?
She left the hospital in a fog.
By the time her mind surfaced, she was standing outside the Simmons family home.
She turned to leave, then remembered her documents were still in the storage room inside.
She pushed the door open.
And walked straight into Serena, who was on her way out.
Serena froze for a split second when she saw Trudy. Then her eyes lit with something vicious and pleased.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Wren. That old hag finally croaked. One less burden dragging you down. So why the long face?"
Every muscle in Trudy's body locked. She clenched her teeth. "What did you do?"
Serena covered her mouth and giggled.
"Oh, nothing much. I just flushed all your little blood bags down the toilet. Who knew the old bat was so fragile? Died just like that."
The blood in Trudy's veins turned to ice.
So that was why.
That was why she'd given everything she had and Matron Grace still hadn't gotten better.
Serena.
Serena had killed Matron Grace.
Trudy shook with a rage so consuming she wanted to lunge forward and tear the woman apart.
She bit the inside of her lip until she tasted copper and forced herself still.
One more day. In one more day, Serena would lose everything.
But Serena wasn't done.
"I have to say, I'm impressed you had that much blood in you."
"Flushing it all was honestly exhausting."
Trudy's hand moved before her mind caught up. She slapped Serena across the face so hard the crack echoed off the walls.
"Trudy, what are you doing!"
Zachary appeared in the doorway. His eyes landed on the red handprint blazing across Serena's cheek, and he strode forward, planting himself between them.
"I was going to surprise you today. I was going to propose."
"And instead you pull this? You actually put your hands on Serena?"
Serena cupped her cheek, eyes glistening. "I don't know what got into her. She just rushed at me out of nowhere."
"Zach, don't be angry. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Maybe she's just having a bad day."
Zachary scoffed. "A bad day doesn't give you the right to hit people."
"Raised in an orphanage, and it shows. No manners whatsoever. That Matron Grace of yours was probably the same. Otherwise, how did she raise someone so savage?"
Crack.
Before the last word left his mouth, Trudy's palm connected with his face.
The sting was sharp enough to stun him into silence.
"Trudy!"
Serena grabbed his arm.
"Zach, let it go."
"The proposal is more important."
She blinked at him, a slow, deliberate flutter.
Zachary inhaled through his teeth and swallowed his rage.
"This little tantrum of yours is just about the divorce papers, isn't it? That's what's got you so worked up."
"I said those things in the heat of the moment. I've been planning the wedding all week to surprise you."
He lifted the roses in his hand and dropped to one knee.
"Trudy, I know you've always dreamed of having a wedding of your own. So, will you marry me again?"
Trudy looked down at the man kneeling before her, at the carefully rehearsed tenderness in his eyes, and felt nothing but contempt.
And those roses.
She had dressed in white today to mourn Matron Grace.
The garish red blooms against her mourning clothes made her stomach turn.
But she smiled. She even let her eyes glisten with tears.
"Yes."
Zachary exhaled, visibly relieved. He stood and produced a wedding gown.
"I had this custom-made just for you. The venue is all designed too. You're going to love it."
He pressed the gown into her arms, his voice earnest. "Tomorrow morning. Be there. Promise me?"
If she hadn't already known the truth, she might have actually fallen for this performance.
She kept smiling. "I'll be right on time."
Her fingers traced the fabric. Nothing stirred inside her.
Because she knew: Zachary had indeed commissioned a gown. A couture piece. What he'd just handed her was the complimentary bridesmaid's dress that came with it.
"Zach, I have a surprise for you too."
She looked at him, and as the thought of what she'd prepared crossed her mind, her smile turned genuine.
Something about that smile caught Zachary off guard.
He couldn't remember the last time Trudy had smiled like that.
He leaned in without thinking, wanting to kiss her cheek.
Trudy tilted her head away, still smiling. "Serena's watching."
Zachary blinked, thrown. He hadn't expected her to dodge.
But he glanced at Serena, recovered, and stepped back half a pace as if nothing had happened.
"Right. Serena and I have some things to take care of. Get some rest tonight, and don't forget to be there tomorrow."
After a night's rest, Trudy gathered her documents early the next morning and headed for the airport.
On the way, she pulled out her phone.
She'd been added to a group chat at some point without noticing.
Zach, the private video is all set, right? I can't wait to see the look on Trudy's face when it plays.
You think she'll break down on the spot?
Zachary: Serena's handling the video. We just stick to the plan.
Wait. Is there an extra person in this group?
Trudy screenshotted the entire conversation. Then she watched Zachary fire off a string of exclamation marks.
Trudy's in the group! Who added her?!
The next second, she was kicked out.
Five minutes passed before Zachary cautiously sent her a message.
Trudy, did you happen to see anything weird just now?
She snapped a quick photo out the car window. The hotel where Zachary's wedding was being held happened to be visible in the distance.
No. I'm almost at the hotel.
Zachary looked up instinctively, but all he saw was the endless stream of traffic outside.
A hollow feeling settled in his chest, sudden and unexplained, like something important was about to slip through his fingers.
Trudy watched the scenery slide past her window, perfectly calm.
Zachary. Serena. I hope you're ready for my gift.
