The raw grief clawed at my throat, but beneath it, a chilling question solidified in my mind. How did Jessi know about the loans? I had hidden the papers, never spoken of them. Only the bank, and now, Britt, knew the full extent of the financial burden crushing me. Britt. She had shown Jessi the papers. She had deliberately tormented my dying foster mother with the truth of my desperate sacrifice. Why?
My gaze locked onto Britt, who stood by the bed, her face still pale, but her eyes held a strange, calculating glint. My blood ran cold. Jessi had been so certain of her innocence, so desperate to protect Britt, even to her last breath. She had known things, deep, dark things about Britt' s past. Secrets that Britt would kill to keep buried. Had Britt, in her twisted cruelty, revealed my debt to Jessi to silence her? To ensure Jessi would take her secrets to the grave? It was a monstrous thought, but with Britt, nothing was beyond possibility.
A cold rage, unlike anything I had ever felt, began to simmer within me. I took a step towards Britt, my hands clenching into fists. "What did you say to her, Britt?" My voice was low, dangerous. "What did you do?"
Kane, ever the protector, stepped in front of Britt, shielding her. "Stop it, Kara! She's grieving! Jessi was her mother too! How can you be so heartless?"
"Heartless?" I snarled, trying to push past him. "You want to talk about heartless? Ask her about the men she strung along, the ones who mysteriously disappeared after getting too close to her 'secrets'! Ask her about the one who warned me she was infected, the one who told me to run, told me I had no idea what kind of monster she truly was!"
Britt gasped, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and fury.
"You' re slandering her, Kara!" Kane shouted, grabbing my arm. "You're delusional! Jessi died of natural causes! Britt had nothing to do with it!"
Suddenly, Britt pulled at Kane's sleeve, her eyes still wide with feigned distress. "Kane, please don't let her do this. Jessi wouldn't want her to accuse me. Poor Mommy Jessi... she was so worried about Kara. On her deathbed, she made me promise to look after Kara. To help her with her finances, poor thing. She told me about Kara's terrible loans, the ones for her medical bills. She truly believed Kara would be better off with us. That's why she wanted me to take Kara in." Britt turned to me, her voice now a saccharine whisper. "I know you're in a lot of debt, Kara. Jessi told me how much. She begged me to help you. So, I will. I'll take you in. You can live at the mansion, work for us."
Kane looked at me with open disgust. "You see, Kara? Britt is trying to help you, and you're still accusing her of murder! Jessi was right not to trust you with Cleveland. You're unstable." He wrapped an arm around Britt, pulling her close. She leaned into him, a triumphant smirk flashing across her face as her eyes met mine.
"You can cook for us, Kara," Britt purred, her voice sweet as poison. "And clean. You know, general household duties. We'll pay you a monthly salary, and I'll even help you pay off those ridiculous debts. It'll be a chance to learn how to live in poverty, like I did for so long. To truly understand what it means to be a commoner." She giggled, a childish, cruel sound.
Kane smiled, stroking her hair. "See, Kara? Britt is so kind. She truly has a good heart."
Britt giggled again, her eyes shining with malice. "Oh, Kane, you're too sweet. It was Jessi's dying wish, after all. Who am I to refuse my mother's final request?"
I didn't dignify her performance with a response. My heart was a stone in my chest. I turned away from them, my eyes scanning the room for Jessi's meager belongings. I needed to pack them, to take her few possessions away from this place, away from Britt's toxic presence.
I gathered Jessi's worn rosary, her faded photographs, her old, well-loved copy of a medical textbook she' d given me when I first started my research. As I placed them carefully into a small bag, Britt followed me into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The sound echoed ominously in the small, silent space.
"What do you want, Britt?" I asked, my voice flat, devoid of emotion.
She leaned against the door, a slow, predatory smile spreading across her lips. "No good intentions, darling. Just a little... retribution." Her eyes gleamed. "It's delicious, isn't it? To see you, the once-proud Kara Massey, reduced to this. A common servant, indebted to me, cleaning my house, raising my husband's son." She paused, savoring the moment. "You had my life, Kara. My name, my family, my fortune. And I want to make sure you suffer for every single second of it."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with a venomous hatred. "My foster father never gave me a dime when I needed it. He always said I was 'too much trouble,' a 'bad seed.' He said he'd rather burn the money than give it to me. And now, you're in the same position, aren't you? Begging for scraps. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Her eyes, usually so calculating, now burned with an unhinged intensity, a chilling reflection of the darkness within her.
