"Serena, I'm sorry. I was just joking around with you."
"I haven't even worn that jewelry set. I'll give it back."
"Please don't cut off my mother's treatment. She'll die!"
I shook my head and let a thin smile curl across my lips.
"You don't need to return anything. I'll be taking it back myself."
Several bodyguards stepped forward and pinned her down. Dr. Swanson walked in wearing a surgical mask, a syringe full of clear liquid in his gloved hand.
Nanette thrashed wildly, her screams echoing through the villa.
"Serena! What are you doing?!"
I looked at her panicked, helpless face and blinked innocently.
"Just joking around with you, of course."
I gripped her jaw, tilted her face up, and the needle sank into the skin beside her lips. The solution disappeared slowly beneath the surface.
Nanette collapsed to the floor. The tissue around her mouth was already swelling an angry red.
I took the alcohol-soaked cloth Dr. Swanson offered and wiped my hands clean, finger by finger.
"You love running that filthy mouth of yours. This should suit you perfectly."
"Once it kicks in, your entire mouth will be riddled with ulcers for the next month. Oozing. Rotting. The smell alone could clear a room." I tilted my head. "I'd love to see if Theodore can still bring himself to kiss you then."
"It's just a little joke. You're not going to be upset about it, are you?"
Nanette's desperate wailing trailed off as the bodyguards dragged her out.
Ten minutes later, Theodore's car pulled into the villa garage.
He stepped out of the elevator carrying a box of pastries from that bakery on the west side of town, the one he knew I loved. His gaze swept the first floor before finally settling on my face.
When he spoke, his voice was gentle.
"Had to deal with something at the office after my client meeting. That's why I'm a little late."
"I picked up those pastries you like. Try them while they're still warm."
He walked over and pulled me into his arms.
"Come on, Serena. Don't be mad."
"From now on, whenever I'm not working, I'll be right here with you."
A wave of peachy perfume hit me so hard my head swam.
My throat clenched. The nausea surged up before I could force it down.
I shoved Theodore away. Hard. The pastry box tumbled off the table, scattering across the floor.
Nanette burst in. I had no idea how she'd gotten back inside. The moment she saw Theodore, she broke into heaving sobs.
"Theodore! Thank God you're home!"
"Serena is out of her mind! She injected me with something, look what she did to my mouth, and she cut off my mother's treatment! My mom is still lying in that hospital bed!"
"Please, you have to help me. Help my mom. I'm so scared. It hurts so much!"
Theodore stared at Nanette's swollen, crimson lips. The color drained from his face, replaced by something cold and hard.
"Serena, you went too far."
"She made one joke. One. And you escalate it to this? What is wrong with you?"
"How did I ever marry a woman this heartless."
That last sentence lodged in my skull and played on repeat.
I thought of our wedding day. Every seat filled. Petals drifting through the air. He had stood in front of everyone we knew, looked into my eyes, and said with so much tenderness it made my chest ache:
"Serena, loving you is the best thing I've ever done."
"Marrying you is the best decision I've ever made."
And now he was asking how he ever married a woman like me.
I lowered my gaze and swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat. When I looked up again, my expression was perfectly still.
I met Theodore's eyes and spoke quietly.
"You're awfully protective of her. That mouth of hers must do more than just crack jokes."
A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He opened his mouth, scrambling for an explanation.
But Nanette dropped to her knees before he could speak, wailing like her world was ending.
"Theodore, I'm begging you! Save my mother!"
"I don't want my babies to be born without a father and without a grandmother!"
I froze where I stood. A high-pitched ringing flooded my ears.
Theodore stared at Nanette, disbelief written across his face.
"A baby? What baby?"
Nanette choked back a sob.
"I haven't had my period in two months. The doctor said it's twins, but the heartbeat is unstable."
Theodore scrambled to scoop her off the floor, cradling her in his arms with exaggerated care, as if she were made of glass.
Then he turned to me, his voice flat and cold.
"Serena, I won't let her come near you again until the baby is born."
"And you should take a good look at yourself while you're at it."
A lazy, mocking curve tugged at the corner of my mouth. My tone was detached.
"Theodore, you really think you're something, don't you."
The words had barely left my lips when the Ashworth legal team filed into the room in unison.
The lead attorney from Harborton's top law firm placed a stack of documents in front of him.
"Mr. Morton."
"You and Miss Ashworth signed explicit prenuptial terms prior to your marriage. In the event that either party is unfaithful, the offending party forfeits all marital assets."
"Your shares in the company have been frozen, and you have been removed from the board of directors."
"We ask that you sign the divorce agreement now and vacate Miss Ashworth's property."
