How long she lay there, Daisie didn’t know. She was just jolted out of unconsciousness by pain.
The burn on her skin had been wrapped in a few hasty turns of gauze. It was so thin she could still feel the swollen outline of the blisters underneath. The bandage at her abdomen was tied tight and crooked; she could feel a faint seep of blood through the layers.
Just then, the door burst open.
Kendra barged in. Her cheeks were flushed, her step light and composed. There wasn’t a trace of the frailty she used to pretend to have.
“Hey there, Daisie. Feeling any better?” Kendra mocked.
Daisie’s eyes reddened. She glared at Kendra, the hatred in her chest so fierce she could barely breathe.
Kendra didn’t seem to care. She sat at the bedside, crossed one leg over the other with casual ease, and lounged as if she were visiting a friend’s home, not a hospital.
“I heard… you’re planning to leave?”
Daisie’s heart tightened.
How did she know? Was she just guessing, or had someone told her?
Leaning closer, Kendra lowered her voice. “Don’t kid yourself. You really think that old woman’s going to help you? If she dares send you away behind her son’s back, Willard will turn against her in a second.”
Daisie felt her world drop as she realized that Kendra knew. Of course, she knew.
“But,” Kendra’s tone shifted, and she twirled a lock of hair around her finger, “if you really want to go, it’s not impossible.”
Daisie kept her eyes locked on her, waiting for the catch.
“Beg me.” Kendra laughed, covering her mouth. “Kneel, apologize three times. Slap your own face while you say, ‘Kendra, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have tried to steal Willard from you. I’m nothing but a delusional bitch.’ Maybe then I’ll be in a good mood and tell Willard to kick a nobody like you out.”
Daisie gripped the sheet until her nails bit into her flesh.
Kendra scoffed. “What? You’re not willing? Looks like you still haven’t faced your situation. What do you have left? No home, your father is dead, your mother is disabled, your brother is in prison, and you’ve lost a kidney. You’re literally a complete waste.”
“If you stay in the Granthams’ place, you’ll be my punching bag, my mobile blood bank, my organ reserve. I’ll use you how I please. Willard will only help me; he won’t spare you a glance!”
She rose, walked to the window and stared out with a lightness that made Daisie’s blood boil.
“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. Those gambling debts your brother had? I arranged that trap. Your father’s company goes bankrupt—I had people mess with it. As for your mother, the driver who hit her and put her in the hospital—I hired and paid him.”
Daisie’s breath stopped. Her pupils dilated; it felt as though all the blood in her veins froze.
Her brother… her father… her mother…
Everything—the ruin of her family—had been orchestrated by Kendra from the start?!
Her rage swallowed her sanity in an instant.
“Kendra! I’m gonna kill you!” Daisie roared.
Where it came from she didn’t know, but strength surged through her. She lunged off the bed, grabbed a handful of Kendra’s hair and yanked backward with all her might.
Caught off guard, Kendra screamed and staggered, slamming into the wall.
“Ouch! Ouch! Let go! You lunatic!” she shrieked, clawing blindly at Daisie’s face.
But pain didn’t register for Daisie; she clenched Kendra’s throat, and her eyes went white with revenge.
“It’s you! It’s all you! Give me back my parents! Give me back my brother! Give me back my kidney!”
Her wound split open, blood quickly staining the hospital gown, but she didn’t care. She only wanted one thing—to drag Kendra down to hell with her!
“Help! Willard! Help me!” Kendra cried as she thrashed, her face flushing purple.
At that moment, the ward door was flung open with a violent crash.
