I grabbed the pillow like a woman possessed and hurled it at Giles, hating him for every lie, every calculated move.
He didn't even flinch. Just gave me two options.
“Marry me with no wedding settlement, or the baby stays with me. Your choice.”
The rage sent me into hemorrhagic shock. Before I blacked out, the last thing I saw was the three of them fussing over the baby, cooing and coddling. Not one of them spared me a glance.
The memory dissolved. I looked at the two people kneeling in front of me now, performing their grief, and felt nothing.
When I didn't speak, Tracey cried harder.
“I couldn't protect my boy, and now I can't even protect his flesh and blood. I don't deserve to be alive. I'd rather just end it all.”
She lunged toward the wall, but Evan caught her and locked his arms around her.
The onlookers in the hallway whispered and pointed.
I lowered my eyes, buried the hatred where no one could see it, and forced a look of anguish onto my face.
“I'll keep it.”
The words barely left my mouth before a flash of triumph cut through both their eyes. They grabbed my hands, all smiles.
“Good girl. That's all we needed to hear. You just focus on resting and taking care of the baby. We'll handle everything for Giles's funeral. Don't you worry about a thing.”
They left with light, bouncing steps, glancing back every few paces. Not a trace of grief for a dead son. Just the giddiness of a con that had landed.
I stood by the window and watched until they were out of sight. Then I turned and walked straight to the OB-GYN.
“Hi. I'd like to terminate my pregnancy.
The cold instruments entered my body, and the shackles that had bound me in my last life cracked apart, piece by piece.
I'd thought about confronting them outright. But that would have been too easy.
Back in my room, I took out my phone and contacted a private investigator. I sent him a photo of Giles.
“I need you on him twenty-four seven. Every move he makes, I want it on video.”
That same night, over a dozen clips came through.
Dark lighting. Pounding music. A nightclub.
Giles had a woman on each arm, looking like he owned the world.
“Whoever keeps me happy tonight gets a fat bonus.”
He slapped a thick stack of cash on the table with a flourish. The bills were so crisp and red they stung my eyes.
In my previous life, I'd been pregnant and alone. I quit my job, stayed home with my swollen belly, and counted every dollar for checkups and delivery.
While he was out burning through money like it was nothing. And he'd had the nerve to resent me for wanting a wedding settlement.
My chest seized. I swallowed back the nausea and kept watching.
A handful of his usual buddies crowded around him, ribbing him, laughing.
“Gotta hand it to you, man. Faking your own death? That takes balls.”
“Can you blame him? That girl was so high-maintenance. Gets knocked up and suddenly it's quit smoking, quit drinking, run here, fetch that. A man's hands are meant for making money, not running errands. She needed to be put in her place.”
“But seriously, bro, how were you so sure Scarlett would keep the baby?”
Giles snorted. He tilted his head and bit the grape a girl held out to him.
“She's an orphan. Desperate for love. Got bullied in middle school, too. Something's a little off up here.”
“I hired some guys to corner her back then, swooped in to play the hero, and she was mine. Five years together after that. A little sweet talk, a few gifts, and she treated me like I was God himself.”
“That's what you call spending small to save big.”
The whole group doubled over laughing.
I sat frozen, my heart split open, the pain so sharp I couldn't breathe.
I thought about the first time we met.
I was being harassed. Giles stepped in front of me, shielded me with his body. A knife caught his arm and the blood ran down in a steady stream.
Right before he passed out, his face white with pain, he reached up and wiped the tears off my cheeks.
“Scarlett, don't cry. The truth is, I've liked you for a long time. Protecting you was my choice. Don't feel like you owe me anything.”
