She saw my reaction and smiled, satisfied.
“You know why he kept coming back to me? Because he wanted to. Not because anyone forced him. After I got pregnant, he still came to my room. Again and again. He couldn't stay away.”
Every word felt like a knife twisting deeper.
“He told me I was exciting. He said being with me felt alive.”
Her eyes glittered maliciously.
“You know what else he said?”
I stayed silent.
She laughed. “He said you were boring. That being in bed with you felt like sleeping beside a corpse.”
The room fell completely silent.
For several seconds, I simply stared at her.
Then I answered softly.
“You know, that's interesting.”
Maxine blinked.
I shrugged. “Because escorts are exciting too.”
Her smile vanished.
I continued calmly. “They're paid to make people happy. They're trained to be entertaining.” I looked directly into her eyes. “But I've never seen anyone rushing to marry one.”
For a few seconds, Maxine simply stared at me as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard.
Then she exploded.
“You bitch!”
Her hand flew upward.
For a moment, I thought she was about to hit me.
But then something strange happened, she stopped.
A chill ran down my spine.
Because I recognized that look.
That smile— that terrifying smile. The same one she'd worn years ago when we were children.
“No way...” I whispered.
Maxine's smile widened. “Sandra.” Her voice became soft, almost playful. “Do you remember our favorite game?”
My blood ran cold.
I immediately stood. “No.”
The smile remained.
“Yes.”
Fear gripped my chest because suddenly, I remembered. I remembered everything.
Back when we were children, Maxine used to say the exact same thing.
Let's play a game.
Those words haunted my childhood.
I was the middle child, and Maxine was older than me. After our twin youngest brother was born, our parents barely paid attention to either of us anymore. But Maxine took it especially badly. She hated being ignored.
And somehow, I became the target.
Whenever she got angry, she'd take it out on me. She'd push me, hit me, lock me in rooms, and destroy my things.
Then one day, when I threatened to tell our parents, she smiled.
The exact same smile she was wearing now.
“Let's play a game.”
I still remembered it perfectly. I was crying, holding my favorite toy, terrified. Maxine suddenly snatched the toy from my hands and slammed it against her own forehead.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Blood immediately started running down her face.
I stood there frozen, too shocked to move and too shocked to speak.
Meanwhile, Maxine kept laughing.
Actually laughing.
“This game is called See Who They Believe.”
Then she'd thrown the toy onto the floor.
A second later, she started crying loudly and desperately, like she was the victim.
“Mom! Dad! Sandra hit me! She threw the toy at my head!”
The memory still made me sick.
My parents never listened.
They saw blood and immediately believed her.
Every single time.
And after discovering how well it worked, Maxine kept doing it. Over and over again. Whenever she wanted attention. Whenever she wanted sympathy. Whenever she wanted me punished.
That game became a nightmare that followed me through my entire childhood.
Eventually, when we grew older, she stopped.
Or at least I thought she had.
Now, staring at that familiar smile, I realized I was wrong.
Maxine had never changed.
She'd simply been waiting for the perfect moment to play again. And judging by the look in her eyes, that moment had finally arrived.
I never thought Maxine would use that same trick again after all these years. Not after everything that happened between us growing up. But I was wrong.
It happened too fast. One second she was standing near the stairs, and the next she suddenly screamed.
“Ah!” Maxine screamed.
Her body tilted back and she fell straight down the stairs. The sound echoed through the living room like a gunshot. She hit the floor hard and stayed there, bleeding.
My whole body froze. I didn’t even get the chance to move.
Then everything turned into chaos. Maverick’s family rushed forward like wolves.
My father-in-law grabbed my arm so tightly it hurt.
“You did this?!” Mr. Farrington shouted. “You pushed her, didn’t you? I knew it. I always knew you were jealous of her.”
My mother-in-law screamed through tears.
“My son is already gone, and now you want to destroy his wife too? She's carrying the Farrington heir!”
The servants ran in. Maverick appeared at the stairs.
But nobody was looking at Maxine like it was an accident. They were all looking at me like I was already guilty.
Maverick didn’t speak at first. He just stared at Maxine lying on the floor, then looked at me. That silence hurt more than any accusation.
Before I could explain anything, they grabbed me and dragged me out of the house.
I kept saying it over and over.
“I didn’t push her,” I said. “I swear I didn’t.”
But nobody listened. They never did.
...
The hospital was bright and cold. Too clean for something so ugly.
They dragged me inside like I was already convicted. My father-in-law kept holding my arm tightly like I was still a child.
“You think we didn’t see it?” Mr. Farrington said sharply. “You think we’re blind? Your blood type matches hers. You’ll donate right now.”
My mother-in-law nodded like it was obvious.
“She hurt her,” Mrs. Farrington said coldly. “So she pays. If she needs blood, take from her. Take everything she needs.”
My voice shook.
“I didn’t push her,” I said. “I swear I didn’t.”
But it didn’t matter. Nothing I said ever mattered.
They strapped me down. My arms were pinned. The needle went into my arm and I flinched hard.
It hurt.
The blood started leaving my body. Slow. Steady. Like something being taken that I couldn’t get back.
200 ml. 400 ml. 600 ml.
My vision blurred. The room started to feel far away. Cold. Empty.
And then I remembered again.
That game. Maxine smiling with blood on her forehead. “Let’s see who they believe.”
My parents yelling. Everyone always choosing her version. Always me being wrong, even when I didn’t do anything.
My throat tightened.
I really thought marriage would be different. I thought Maverick would see me. I thought I finally had someone on my side. But now I understood something I didn’t want to admit. Some people never get chosen. They just get blamed.
A nurse’s voice suddenly cut through the noise.
“Stop!” the nurse shouted. “She’s losing too much blood! Her vitals are dropping! She's dying!”
Everything started spinning. Someone shook me. I heard my name.
“Sandra! Sandra!”
But even that voice felt far away, then the next thing I heard was a long beeping line and then everything went quiet.
