"What?!"
I looked up at Max, stunned. "You've lost your mind!"
"This is my final gift to you. Did you like it? All I had to do was tell him I wasn't feeling well, and your dear brother immediately suggested sacrificing your daughter for the treatment. That's the wonderful brother you've got."
Mabel leaned in close to my ear, her voice soft and dripping with satisfaction.
"Just think about it. Your child, your mother, all gone. Would that break you?"
I stared at her, my voice shaking. "What do you want from me?"
"Don't test me. I could arrange for your mother to have a little accident right here in this hospital."
The word accident hit me like a spark landing in hot oil.
"Mabel!"
My hand flew before I could think, connecting hard with her face.
Crack.
Mabel stumbled back two steps, clutching her cheek as she crumpled into Guy's arms, eyes glistening with perfectly manufactured tears.
"I was only asking about your mother's health, and you hit me! How could you, Amber?"
"Amber! You're insane!" Guy's head snapped up, fury blazing in his eyes. "Mabel was kind enough to bring us here to visit your mother, and you slap her out of jealousy? Apologize. Now."
He turned back to Mabel, cradling her with a tenderness I had never once seen directed at me. Every gentle murmur, every careful touch, all reserved for her.
Tears slipped down my face before I could stop them, slowly hardening into a bitter smile.
This was the man I'd loved for ten years.
He hadn't asked me for a single explanation. One sentence from Mabel, and he'd turned on me like I was the enemy.
"She threatened my mother! She's the one who killed my daughter!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Guy rose to his feet. His hand came down across my face with full force.
The blow snapped my head to the side. My ears rang. Pain exploded through my cheekbone, and I crumpled to the floor.
Tears streamed down my face. I would never forget how heavy that slap was. The humiliation spread through me like poison, seeping into every corner of my chest.
Mabel clapped a hand over her mouth in feigned shock. But I saw it clearly: the smile curling at the corners of her lips. Victory.
I pressed my trembling fingers to my burning cheek.
Guy stood frozen for a moment after striking me, his arm hanging stiff at his side. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something.
Then Mabel whimpered in his arms, crying out in pain, and whatever flicker of hesitation he'd had vanished. He scooped her up and rushed toward the emergency room without a backward glance.
I sat on the cold hospital floor, every ounce of hatred and agony collapsing into one hollow, bitter smile.
I didn't know how long I stayed there before I finally dragged myself to my feet and walked home on numb legs, mechanical as a wind-up toy winding down.
At the front door, I picked up the divorce papers and placed them on the nightstand.
Seven days. Seven more days, and I'd be free. I didn't hesitate.
I pulled open the dresser drawers and started tossing clothes into a suitcase.
I had just folded the last piece when the door opened behind me.
"Amber? What are you doing?" Guy's voice cut through the room.
I didn't turn around. My voice came out dry and flat. "Just reorganizing the closet."
His gaze swept across the mess of the room. He was about to speak when another voice interrupted, thin and fragile.
"Guy, I'm scared of the dark. Could I stay in this room?"
Mabel.
I went rigid. I turned and saw two suitcases standing behind Guy in the doorway.
He wheeled them inside without a trace of shame. "Mabel is pregnant and she's been through a terrible scare. She needs someone looking after her. You hit her today, so you'll serve as her caretaker for the next month. You'll attend to her every need."
He met my eyes as if what he was saying were the most reasonable thing in the world.
"Give up the master bedroom. Move to the maid's quarters."
