Chapter 3

I took the paperwork from him, my heart getting heavier with every word. "You're shipping me off to Redfield Community now?"

Redfield Community—that hellhole where two people froze to death just last winter.

Declan barely looked up, still scribbling like it didn't concern him at all. "Weren't you always begging to get promoted? Think of this transfer as a way of testing you."

I blurted out, "So, now that Susan's waking up, you just can't wait to throw me out?"

"Weren't you the one saying you wanted to leave?" Declan retorted.

I was just about to say something when a knock at the door cut me off.

"Mr. Rivers, you wanted to see me?" A soft, bright voice called out from behind me.

I turned around and spotted a familiar figure.

Tommy was holding the hand of a young, pretty woman, his face lit up with joy.

"Linda, Dad's gonna be so happy to see you!" Tommy exclaimed.

But before he could get the words out, his face instantly twisted up when he saw me.

"Ugh, who smells so badly?" Tommy complained loudly, wrinkling his nose in exaggerated disgust.

It took me a second to realize he meant me—the scent of engine oil clinging to every inch of me.

I remember when Tommy first learned to talk, he'd always run straight into my arms, his whole body bouncing with excitement.

His first words, all babbling out in his soft little voice, were, "Mary, you smell good."

"I like you, Mary! I really, really like you."

I taught Tommy to walk, to read—lost count of how many times I held his tiny hand.

But as he got older, he became convinced I was the reason Susan was gone, and from that point on, he looked at me like I was poison.

I glanced up at the woman named Linda. She gave me a warm smile, soft enough to make anyone drop their guard.

Her face bore a striking resemblance to Susan, almost as if they could've been sisters.

Over these seven years, Declan had paraded home more women like her than I cared to count.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept Declan's transfer order.

Packing my things at home, I suddenly realized the silver ring my grandma gave me before she left was missing.

It felt like my heart had just dropped straight into a freezer. I tore through every drawer and cabinet in the house, searching everywhere, but no matter how hard I looked, the ring still wasn't anywhere to be found.

At dusk, Declan shuffled into the yard with Tommy trailing behind. I was slumped on a bench, totally spaced out—just staring blankly into nothing.

The table was bare—not even a single bowl of warm soup in sight.

I hadn't bothered making dinner.

Declan scowled, voice sharp. "What are you doing just sitting there? No dinner tonight? Tommy needs to eat. Are you trying to starve him?"

I barely registered his voice, just kept mumbling, "My ring is gone."

"The ring's gone?" Declan just raised an eyebrow, totally unfazed. "What's the big deal? Just get another one."

"That's not the same at all," I shot back, my voice cracking from anger.

I sprang to my feet and confronted Declan, my whole body shaking. "That ring was from my grandma. She left it for me!"

"It's the only thing I have to remember her by!" My voice wavered, each word trembling with pain.

Maybe the tension was getting to him, because Tommy suddenly whined, "Dad... I'm hungry..."

Declan patted Tommy's head. "Good boy, you'll get your dinner soon."

Once Tommy was settled, Declan turned on me with a hard glare. "Didn't you hear him? Get dinner started, now!"

I frowned and scanned the room. I saw the ring I was searching for hanging from Tommy's neck.

I marched straight over, practically jabbing at the ring dangling around his neck. "That ring is mine."

Declan's forehead veins bulged. "Mary, stop claiming everything for yourself!"

I snorted coldly. "My name is carved on the inside. My grandma did every stroke herself. Can't you even recognize it?"

Declan picked up the ring, flipped it over, and his face went pale in an instant.

Tommy scrunched up his face, stuck out his lower lip, and started bawling at the top of his lungs. "No way! I'm not giving it back! I want it!"