Chapter 5

I was about to take a sip of my oatmeal when Curtis snatched the bowl away. "Seriously? Just because you've got stomach cancer, you think you deserve some special treatment?

"Cooking your own meal now? What, you think gas is free or my money just falls from the sky? You're really something, wasting resources like that.

"From now on, no more cooking your own food, and stop making that bland stuff. It totally kills my appetite."

"That's right, Aurora," Hadley jumped in. "Not to be mean, but stomach cancer isn't something you just get over.

"You don't have much time left, so why not eat something with flavor and enjoy it while you still can? Otherwise, you'll be gone before you know it and won't get to taste anything ever again."

How did I never realize how fake this family really is?

But then again, it was not too late to find out now.

"Here, Curtis, I peeled some spicy buffalo wings for you. Make sure you eat them all," Cara said, pushing a bowl of the sauced wings toward Curtis.

Then Cara shot me a sly look, acting all innocent. "Aurora, you only ever care about your own food. You never think about anyone else. No wonder Curtis prefers me over you."

Curtis was so pleased he was practically dizzy, popping wings into his mouth one after another.

"Cara's the one who really understands me," Curtis said with a grin. "Don't even bring up that unlucky woman. Even if she tried to serve me, I wouldn't touch it."

"Curtis, this one's really good too—packed with flavor. Give it a try," Cara said, nudging the dish toward him.

"Yeah, this is good," Curtis said, nodding in approval.

I kept my head down, quietly eating my oatmeal. I had spooned some meat, but as I reached for more, Hadley smacked my spoon, knocking the meat right out of my hand.

"Why are you stuffing yourself with meat when you're practically on your deathbed?" Hadley sneered.

She continued, "A couple of pieces are enough. You've already had four pieces, and you still want more? Are you really that greedy? Can't you see all these veggies right here?

"You don't care about money at all, do you? Giving you meat is just throwing money away. You're basically done for, and you still have the nerve to eat like this."

"Hadley, you know Aurora's just scared she won't get to eat anything once she's gone, so of course she's trying to stuff herself while she still can, right?" Cara smirked, flashing a fake smile.

"Giving her two pieces is already us doing her a favor. Don't even dream about getting more," Hadley said, swapping out the meat for a plate of greens right in front of me.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the anger bubbling inside me.

Not yet. Be patient.

I put on a placating smile. "Whatever you say, Hadley. I'll eat the veggies."

"Glad you finally understand," Curtis said. "You don't have a job, so every expense in this house comes out of my pocket.

"Every bite you take is on my dime. You're practically on your last legs anyway, so every extra mouthful is just throwing food away."

Curtis looked pretty satisfied with how well I was behaving. "Finish off these fiery roasted green peppers. I'm only letting you have them since you're being so good today—not even Cara gets a taste."

His whole "I'm doing you a favor by letting you eat this—most people wouldn't even get the chance" attitude made me want to roll my eyes so hard they'd get stuck.

And those fiery roasted green peppers he handed me? That really got me thinking.

Was he trying to make my illness worse by giving me something so spicy?

Or was this just payback for how I kept him on a short leash after we got married?

It wasn't really controlling him—more like just setting some boundaries, that's all.

He always thought I couldn't handle spicy food.

But actually, spicy food was no problem for me.

After I got together with Curtis, I started caring a lot more about my image.

Whenever I ate spicy food, I'd get pimples a few days later, so to avoid breakouts, I usually kept my diet pretty bland.

Whenever we went out to eat, we'd always end up ordering the plainest dishes on the menu.

Back when we were dating, he had always compromised with me, playing the good guy every single time.

He had said stuff like, "I can eat bland food for you," or "If I can quit smoking for you, giving up flavor is easy."

I totally fell for his act and convinced myself he was the one.

Turns out, just switching the name on that cancer report was enough to flip my whole world upside down.

Getting ready for bed, I was stuck sleeping in the guest room—of course, there was no bathroom in there.

So I had no choice but to cross the living room if I wanted to use the bathroom.

However, Hadley's room light was still on, which was unusual, as she was usually asleep by this hour.

Voices drifted out from inside the room.

Talking behind closed doors definitely meant secrets.

Moving quietly, I tiptoed up to the door, holding my breath so I could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Aurora's pregnant, and I was just about to come up with a way to make her disappear quietly. But luck was on my side—she ended up with cancer. Now I don't even have to bother," Curtis said.

Hadley chimed in, "True. Initially, we targeted her because she was an only child and owned a place right in the city center. Marrying her meant getting a house for free. It was a steal."

Curtis said with a smug grin, "That's for sure. Don't you forget who my old man is? I did my research—Aurora's the easiest one to manipulate.

"As long as I sweet-talked her and you played your part, getting her to marry me was a walk in the park."

So that was their scheme from the very beginning.