Stephen's chest made a sickening crunch. With his last breath, he spat out a curse.
"No... you bitch... you did this on purpose..."
His eyes rolled back. His body convulsed violently, limbs jerking like a puppet with cut strings.
Then his voice faded to nothing. His body went slack.
Still.
I had to be sure. I collapsed onto his chest, wailing as if my world had ended—while pressing my ear to his heart.
Nothing. Good.
The comments exploded.
[Wait, Stephen can't actually be dead, right?! Don't do this to me! I haven't even seen my precious couple have their sweet moments yet!]
Just then, an ambulance arrived.
[Finally! The ambulance is here! Stephen's saved!]
[Useless. I read the spoilers—they hired that ambulance too. There's no actual medical equipment inside.]
[Nooo, my beautiful love story! This is all Adeline's fault! If she had any conscience, she'd throw herself off that cliff too!]
The paramedics climbed out. One glanced at Stephen's body—barely a second—made no attempt at resuscitation, and draped a white sheet over him.
"He's gone. Our condolences."
Then a shriek cut through the air. A foot slammed into my back, sending me sprawling.
"Adeline Cox!" Athena Delgado's voice was raw with theatrical grief. "You vile woman! Stephen had depression, and you still pushed him like this? Now look what you've done—he jumped because of YOU! Give me back my son! GIVE HIM BACK!"
I stayed on my knees, letting out a broken sob.
"Mom, I'm so sorry—it's all my fault! But Stephen might still be saved! We need to get him to a hospital!"
"He jumped to escape you!" She loomed over me, spittle flying. "Even if he survived, as long as you're alive, he'd just try again! You're a curse. You drove him to his death! How dare you still show your face in this world?"
Oh, give me a break. Inside, I was rolling my eyes so hard they might've gotten stuck. Why shouldn't I show my face? I'm not the one who cheated. I'm not the one who orchestrated this whole disgusting scheme to steal an inheritance.
That's when Laura arrived.
She watched the ambulance disappear down the road, then closed her eyes in a performance of grief so wooden it belonged in a middle school play.
When she opened them again, she fixed me with a look of pure contempt.
"Adeline." Her voice dripped with false sympathy. "Do you know what Stephen told me before he died? He said he was exhausted. He said you were driving him insane." She paused for effect. "He asked me... if dying would finally set him free."
She stepped closer, her heels clicking against the ground.
"Stephen loved you so much. He was willing to give his life for you. If it were me..." She pressed a hand to her chest. "I couldn't possibly go on living alone."
Her eyes narrowed.
"If you're even hesitating, that proves you never loved him at all. And honestly? It makes me sick. Stephen deserved better than to throw his life away for someone like you."
Wow. They were really laying it on thick with the guilt trip.
Too bad I wasn't buying what they were selling.
"You're right," I said, my voice cracking perfectly on cue. "I know what I did was wrong. But because Stephen died for me, I have to stay alive. I need to atone. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to him—by taking care of his family."
I looked up at Athena with wet, earnest eyes.
"I'll honor his memory by being a devoted daughter-in-law to you."
Their expressions curdled.
There it was. If I didn't die, how would they legally inherit everything I owned?
Suddenly, Athena's hand clamped around my arm like a vice.
"You say you loved Stephen?" Her grip tightened, nails digging in. "Then die with him! He died because of you—you owe him this! Go keep him company! Or are you saying his love meant nothing?"
I flinched, genuinely startled.
Holy shit. When emotional manipulation failed, they were just going to skip straight to actual murder?
"Let go of me!" I thrashed against her grip. "What are you doing?! This is murder!"
The comments flew past in a blur.
[Yes! Get her! Evil women like her deserve what's coming!]
[It's fine—when the cops find her body, they'll just assume she killed herself out of guilt. Then Mrs. Delgado and sweet Laura can finally get the inheritance.]
[What is WRONG with you people?! This is literally murder!]
