I was on my knees.
The cold, hard floor bit into my skin. My hands were wrenched behind my back, the metal cuffs cutting into my wrists.
"I was killing the spider!" I screamed, my voice raw and desperate. "There was a spider on his arm! I wasn't hurting him!"
No one listened.
Anthony stood over me, his face a mask of disgust. Alicia was sobbing hysterically, clutching Leo to her chest like I was a rabid dog.
"She tried to hit him!" Alicia wailed, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She raised her hand! I saw it! She's insane, Anthony! She's dangerous!"
"No!" I begged, looking up at my husband. "Please, Anthony! Look at his arm! There might be a bite! I was trying to save him!"
"Save him?" Anthony scoffed. He leaned down, his eyes cold and empty. "You're jealous, Amber. You're jealous because your son is dead and hers is alive. You wanted to hurt him."
"I didn't! I swear on Alexus's grave!"
"Don't you dare speak his name," Anthony hissed. He turned to the police officers who had just arrived. "Take her away. She's a threat to my family."
"But sir—" one officer started.
"Take her!" Anthony roared. "Or I'll have your badges!"
They dragged me out.
I kicked and screamed, begging them to check Leo's arm, begging them to listen. But they just shoved me into the back of the cruiser. The door slammed shut, sealing me in darkness.
I spent the night in a cell.
It was cold. It smelled of urine and despair. I huddled in the corner, shivering, my hospital gown thin and useless. I closed my eyes and saw Alexus's face. I saw the spider. I saw Alicia's triumphant smile through her fake tears.
They left me there to rot.
The next morning, the cell door clanked open.
"You made bail," the guard grunted.
I stumbled out into the blinding sunlight. My body ached. My spirit was bruised.
A black car was waiting at the curb. The window rolled down.
Anthony.
He didn't look at me. He looked straight ahead. "Get in."
I hesitated. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. But I had nowhere to go. My accounts were frozen. My family was gone.
I got in.
The drive was silent. Suffocating.
When we pulled up to the mansion, Alicia was waiting on the porch. She looked fresh, rested. She was wearing a white dress, looking like an angel.
She walked down the steps as I got out of the car.
"Beg her," Anthony said, stepping out behind me.
I froze. "What?"
"Beg Alicia for forgiveness," Anthony said flatly. "She's the only reason I bailed you out. She dropped the charges. You owe her."
I looked at Alicia. She was smiling that sweet, poisonous smile.
"Come on, Amber," she cooed. "You owe me. I saved you from prison. You could have rotted in there for years for attempted assault on a minor."
"I didn't assault him," I whispered, my voice shaking with rage. "I was saving him from a spider."
"Liar," Anthony snapped. "Apologize. Now."
"No," I said.
Alicia's smile faltered. "Amber, please. Don't be difficult. I'm trying to help you."
"Help me?" I laughed, a broken, hysterical sound. "You ruined me!”
I raised my hand and slapped her.
Crack.
The sound echoed across the lawn. Alicia stumbled back, clutching her cheek.
But before I could even take a breath, a hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.
Pain exploded in my scalp.
Anthony threw me to the ground. I landed hard on the gravel, scraping my palms and knees.
"You ungrateful bitch!" he roared. He kicked me in the ribs.
I gasped for air, curling into a ball.
"Anthony, stop!" Alicia cried, rushing to his side. She grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with fake concern. "Don't hurt her! She's just... confused. She's grieving."
She looked down at me, pity oozing from her pores.
"It's okay, Anthony," she said softly. "I forgive her. I know she's not herself. We have to be patient."
Anthony looked at her, his anger melting into adoration. "You are too good for this world, Alicia."
He looked back down at me with pure hatred.
"You're lucky she's a saint," he spat. "Because if it were up to me, I'd leave you in the gutter."
I lay there in the dirt, tears streaming down my face. I was broken. Defeated.
"Please," I whispered. "Just let me go."
"Oh, no," Anthony sneered. "You're not going anywhere. Not after what you just did."
He leaned down, his voice low and menacing.
"You want to stay in this house? Fine. But you won't be the mistress of the manor anymore. You've proven you can't be trusted."
He straightened up, adjusting his cuffs.
"From now on, you're the maid. You'll cook. You'll clean. You'll serve Alicia and Leo. Until you decide to fix yourself."
My blood ran cold.
"A... maid?"
"Yes," Alicia said, beaming. "It will be good for you, Amber. Hard work builds character. And it will keep you busy so you don't have time to... imagine things. After all, where would you go without my mercy?”
The next few weeks were a nightmare.
I scrubbed floors until my knees bled. I washed dishes until my hands were raw. I watched them eat dinner at my table while I stood in the corner, waiting to clear their plates.
Every night, Anthony would make me sit and watch the news.
"Look at this," he'd say, pointing at the screen. "See how happy we are?"
On the screen, Anthony and Alicia were at a charity gala. He had his arm around her waist. She was wearing my diamonds.
I sat there on the floor, hugging my knees, watching them erase me. But something shifted in me as I watched them.
The pain didn't lessen. The grief didn't fade. But the fear... the fear began to turn into something else.
Cold. Hard. Resolve.
I stood up.
"I'm done," I said to the empty room.
I went to the drawer where I kept my mail.
I pulled out a thick envelope that had arrived that morning. It was from a law firm.
I tore it open.
PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
Sebastian finally started our plan.
