An hour later, Gabriel's party ended.
He carried Ida to the car, then rolled down the window and spoke to me with that easy, practiced tone, as if what he was about to say was nothing.
“Jessica, it's one in the morning. You're walking home.”
“And make sure you take the route past the old accident site.”
“I don't want to see you living too comfortably.”
The car pulled away, slow and unhurried.
I stood where I was. A gust of cold wind cut through me.
Forcing myself through the pain between my legs, I started walking toward the villa, one step at a time.
One a.m. was the exact hour the massive chain collision had happened in Capital City.
The exact hour Bridget's heart had been cut from her chest and placed inside mine.
Gabriel never let me forget it.
He made sure it was carved into my bones.
Eight miles. It took me four hours.
By the time I reached the villa halfway up the hill, my legs nearly gave out beneath me.
I lifted a hand, barely able to press the doorbell. My vision went black, and I was a breath away from collapsing when the door swung open.
“Jessica, go clean Ida up. She's exhausted.”
Gabriel's upper body was bare, covered in lipstick marks and scratches left by a woman's nails.
My heart seized so sharply I couldn't breathe. I clenched my jaw.
I raised my eyes to meet his.
The only thought in my mind:
【Gabriel Henson, one more week, and I won't owe you a thing.】
I looked away.
Head down, I walked slowly to the master bedroom.
The wide black bed reeked of what had happened there. Their scent clung to everything.
I walked in, numb, and gently shook Ida awake.
She opened her eyes, glancing at me with a shy little look.
“Sorry to trouble you, Jessica.”
“Mr. Henson, he……”
She didn't finish. I cut her off, took her arm, and walked her into the bathroom.
The tub was already full of warm water. I picked up a towel and wiped the marks from her skin, inch by inch.
Half an hour later, I helped her back to the bed.
Through all of it, Gabriel watched with amusement in his eyes.
I finished. I turned to leave the room.
That was when Gabriel spoke.
“Jessica, is there something you forgot to tell me today?”
His gaze drifted, barely perceptibly, toward my stomach.
A bitter smile twisted my lips. I shook my head, went downstairs, and shut myself inside the maid's room.
The moment the door closed behind me, my whole body began to shake. I slid down against it until I hit the floor.
I pulled the pills from my bag and swallowed them all at once.
The medication dragged me under, and I drifted into a thin, restless sleep.
I hadn't been out long before the door was kicked open.
Gabriel stood over me, face white with fury.
“What did you do to Ida while you were bathing her?!”
“Why is she bleeding?!”
I braced my hands against the wall and pulled myself upright. Gabriel's hands were covered in blood.
I opened my mouth to speak.
He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the car.
“You're coming to the hospital with us!”
“If anything happens to Ida, I will make you pay!”
He threw me into the back seat. I pressed both hands over my chest, my heart slamming so violently I couldn't draw a full breath.
In the hospital lobby, I watched Gabriel carry Ida inside, his face tight with panic, cradling her like she was made of glass.
I sat alone on the cold plastic chair, jaw clenched against the pain, holding on.
A few minutes later, Gabriel walked out.
“Come with me. Ida has an ectopic pregnancy. Massive hemorrhaging. You're Rh-negative. They need your blood now.”
He said it like it was nothing, then turned and walked away, fully expecting me to follow. The way he always did.
For three years, I had said yes to every demand he ever made.
But this time, I thought about the surgery scheduled one week from now. The surgery to remove my heart.
For the first time, I refused.
“Gabriel, I won't do it.”
“What did you just say?”
He turned around, disbelief written across his face.
Once it registered, his lips curled into a scornful smile and he leaned against the wall.
“Jessica, do you still not understand your situation?”
