We each held our ground, but in the end, I was the one who "gave in."
"Darrell, I'll stay by your side through treatment. Once you're better, we can have another baby."
The words nearly made me gag. Darrell must have underestimated the depth of my devotion, because when I said it, he froze for a split second.
Then he pulled me into his arms again. "About my illness, I actually did some asking around. A fellow patient gave me a holistic treatment formula. It's just... a little expensive."
"Expensive doesn't matter. As long as it works, don't worry about the cost."
I jumped in before he could finish. He was obviously leading somewhere with this, and I needed to see exactly what game he was playing.
Darrell looked moved again. "Each dose costs a hundred thousand dollars. Three doses total."
There it was. Darrell's scheme, laid bare. He was trying to bleed me dry.
If that was his plan, I'd play along for now.
"Buy it. If there's even a sliver of hope, we have to try."
His eyes lit up instantly, though he still put on a show of reluctance. "Regina, you really don't have to do this."
"When do we pick up the medicine? I'll go with you."
"They prepare it in advance. We just wire the money and they ship it over."
He handed me an account number as he spoke. I transferred three hundred thousand dollars without a word. But when I made the transfer, the name on the receiving account caught my eye.
Now I knew exactly what Darrell was up to. The account for his so-called holistic treatment belonged to someone named Henson. It didn't take a genius to figure out the money was going straight to Naomi.
They were swindling me together. But that was fine. When the divorce came, I'd make them choke up every last cent.
"There. It's done, honey. The medicine's paid for. Relax. You're going to be just fine."
The flash of glee in Darrell's eyes was impossible to miss.
He put on a grateful performance, practically bowing with appreciation, but didn't forget to remind me: "Don't forget, you have the appointment at the clinic tomorrow."
I cursed him silently. Absolute scum.
I agreed on the surface and left the house early the next morning.
I never went to the clinic. I'd done the math. Even if I raised this child on my own, I could give them a good life.
Hudson Dickerson had been working fast. All the necessary documents were ready to go.
Any new evidence I found, I'd send his way immediately.
On top of that, I hired a private investigator to dig into Darrell and Naomi's history. Thoroughly.
What came back surprised me.
Naomi hadn't come back alone. She'd brought a six-year-old child with her.
The timeline made me think. They'd broken up seven years ago. Maybe it was that one-year gap that convinced Darrell the child was his.
Which meant his will almost certainly had something to do with that kid.
But Darrell and I were the legally married couple. Even if Naomi's child turned out to be his, the kid would only be considered illegitimate.
I messaged Hudson right away to fill him in.
His reply came quickly: An illegitimate child still has inheritance rights. If Darrell has a will on top of that, the odds tip in their favor.
The situation was looking grim for me. But until the final card was played, anything was still possible.
I knew Darrell would ask about the abortion, so I paid to have a fake medical report drawn up. He could forge documents, and so could I.
When I got home, Darrell was already there, just as I expected. The first words out of his mouth were about the procedure.
To keep the act convincing, I didn't say a word. I just handed him the report.
Darrell's face broke into a satisfied smile, though he still put on a show in front of me.
He grabbed my hand, his voice dripping with emotion as he consoled me. "Regina, I've wronged you. I can never make it up to you in this lifetime, but in the next one, I swear I'll spend every moment making it right."
I almost laughed.
Darrell Simmons, even if you came back as my servant in the next life, I wouldn't spare you a single glance.
To sell the act, I went straight back to the bedroom and lay down.
Outside the door, Darrell wasted no time calling Naomi. Even through the wall, I could hear the giddiness in his voice.
I caught fragments of the conversation. Something about moving on to the next phase of the plan.
So their endgame was close. I had to admit, I was curious to see what they had cooked up.
I lay in bed, and at some point, I actually drifted off.
I was jolted awake by a slap across the face.
My eyes flew open to Cordelia Simmons's heavily made-up face looming over me, her shrill voice already mid-tirade.
"You useless woman! You can't even give my son a child, and you have the nerve to sleep?"
I sat up, still groggy. "Mom, what happened?"
"What happened? You have the audacity to ask me that? If I hadn't come over, my son would've been lying there dead and cold and nobody would have even noticed!"
My eyes went wide. Well, that was fast. Darrell sure made dying look easy.
