"Free maid?"
I laughed until tears spilled from my eyes, my chest aching so badly I could barely breathe.
So that was how it was. When he married me, he called me his little princess, sweet-talked me until my head was spinning.
Now that I'd outlived my usefulness, I was nothing but a free maid.
Even the three unborn children I'd carried had become innocent casualties.
Just then, Madge strolled over wearing my nightgown, the red marks on her neck obscenely vivid.
"Come on, sis, stop making a scene."
"Everard's being perfectly reasonable. You've been living here rent-free all this time. Now that you want to leave, paying back what you owe is only fair, isn't it?"
She rubbed her flat stomach with deliberate slowness. "Oh, right. You know the reason your three babies never made it? Bad luck. You can't pin that on Everard."
I stared at her, unblinking.
This was the woman who drove my mother to her death and stole her ashes. Who took my husband, seized the Pruitt family fortune, and now twisted the knife deeper into my heart.
Everard patted Madge's hand, his eyes dripping with affection.
"That's enough, babe. Otherwise a certain rabid dog might start biting again."
When he turned to me, the warmth vanished. Ice replaced it.
"Iris, I'm giving you one last chance."
"Stay. Keep taking care of me and Madge. Once the baby's born, I'll write off your debt and let you keep a roof over your head."
"Otherwise, I'll see you in court."
I looked at the two of them standing there, and something inside me went still.
The tears stopped completely. All that remained in my eyes was a frozen, bottomless cold.
I should have stopped holding out hope for this man long ago. I should have stopped being weak.
I lifted my gaze to Everard, my voice level.
"Everard, since we're done pretending, let me be equally clear."
"You betrayed me first. You hurt me after. I will never forgive you."
"Everything you and Madge stole from me, I'm taking back. All of it."
Everard laughed like he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life.
"Iris, have you lost your mind? With what? You don't have a single thing to your name."
Madge joined in, her voice dripping acid.
"Sis, stop clinging to your pride when you can barely survive. You're a stray dog with nowhere to go. What can you possibly do besides beg us?"
I ignored their mockery.
I didn't say another word.
They took everything I said for empty bluster. They never believed a syllable.
But I knew. Revenge started now.
Everard waved his hand with casual indifference and signaled the housekeeper to take me away.
"The basement's nice and quiet. Let my wife spend some time down there reflecting on her choices."
They locked me up. As I was being dragged away, Madge seized my chin, her nails digging in.
"Sis, looks like you've had it too easy for too long. You have no idea how the real world works."
"A little suffering will teach you to appreciate what you had."
"As for the good life of Mrs. Delgado, I'll be enjoying that on your behalf."
I was locked in the basement for three days. No water. No food. Then the door swung open, and Everard and Madge stood side by side in the doorway.
"Iris, I hear you've come to your senses and want to talk."
Everard crouched down slowly, studying my hollow, gaunt face. Something flickered in his eyes for a fraction of a second. A trace of pity, maybe.
But I knew it was nothing more than an illusion.
"If you'd just behaved from the start, none of this would have happened."
"If you hadn't bullied Madge, if you hadn't called her the mistress's daughter, I wouldn't have had to punish you like this just to stand up for her."
"Now that you've seen reason, go ahead and give Madge a proper apology."
I kept my head down, my gaze locked on the tips of Madge's shoes, my lips pressed into a hard, thin line.
