Chapter 3

Amara clapped excitedly from behind me. "That was amazing, sweetie!"

I shot Amara a look, signaling her to call the police.

Amara understood and hurried back to the room to grab her phone.

Oscar finally snapped out of it. When he saw Lydia get hit, he spun around and yelled at me, "Hailey, you've got a death wish or something? How dare you lay a hand on Lydia? She's our sister."

I shot back, "Lydia left the country back then because the Sullivan family was about to go bankrupt. She was afraid Luke would cling to her and drag her down. But what did she just say? That I took advantage of her absence to steal Luke?

"Talk about flattering herself! The truth is, she dumped Luke because he was broke and didn't want to suffer with him. Then, when the Sullivan family made a comeback, she went crawling back to him."

I continued, "And don't forget about the kidnapping a year ago. Lydia called me and asked to meet up—that was how I got kidnapped. Even the police said the kidnapper never intended to ask for ransom.

"So what was their real motive? Who was behind it? And remember, there was no poison in Lydia's system. Moreover, she was the one who drank the only antidote. She clearly wanted me dead."

As I spoke, a sudden thought struck me. "Or maybe it was Luke who arranged the kidnapping. He wanted me dead because I refused to divorce him. He wanted to be with Lydia, and I was the biggest obstacle..."

"Hailey, what nonsense are you spouting?" Luke's voice came from behind me, icy and furious.

I turned around and stared straight into his eyes. "Isn't that possible? If it wasn't you, then it was Lydia. Otherwise, how do you explain why I was the only one who got poisoned?"

Luke's expression darkened. "The kidnapper said he brought two glasses of water. When he was distracted, Lydia poured hers out, then pretended she drank it..."

"Oh, give me a break. You actually buy that crap?" I shot back angrily.

Luke frowned. "Why are you acting like this?"

I retorted, "Acting like what? Defending myself? Isn't it only right for me to clear my own name? You said we're married, but while I was in a coma, you hooked up with Lydia and even got her pregnant.

"She's a homewrecker, and you're a cheater. Do you think I should be nice to either of you?"

With every retort, Luke's face turned completely dark.

He said coldly, "I never loved you in the first place. If you hadn't been in a coma, we would've been divorced ages ago. Lydia and I are truly in love..."

I sneered, "Truly in love, huh? Tell me, when your family was about to go bankrupt, was it Lydia who stuck by your side? When you hit rock bottom, was she the one who pulled you out?

"And when your grandma was lying in the hospital waiting for someone to pay her medical bills, was she the one who ran around borrowing money for you? Like hell she did."

Luke's face finally softened. "I admit I did you wrong, Hailey. I'll give you whatever you want as compensation. Just tell me."

For the first time ever, Luke actually looked guilty.

He wasn't blind to everything I'd done for him. It was just that, compared to Lydia, the woman he always put on a pedestal, I never really stood a chance.

"Of course I do," I said, my voice steady. "I want half of your shares, the house, and your savings. I want half of everything."

Luke nodded. "Sur..."

"Oh no, my stomach hurts so much, Luke. I feel terrible..." Lydia clutched her stomach, interrupting Luke mid-sentence.

I rolled my eyes. "Really, Lydia? Pulling this stunt again? I know you love playing the sympathy card, but did you have to do it right when he's about to give me half his assets?

"Once I divorce him, everything he owns will be yours anyway. Can't you wait a little? You're that desperate over a small cut? Pathetic."

Just then, Amara came out after calling the police. She heard what I said and started laughing so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.

She said, "Babe, if I'd known you'd get this savage once you stopped caring about Luke, I would've tried everything to make you dump him ages ago.

"Look at you now—so confident and strong. This is the Hailey I remember."

Luke's face fell when he heard that. His eyes turned stormy, and he looked even more pissed off.

I shrugged. "If I had to guess, I probably fell for Luke because I was starved for love. My parents never really liked me growing up.

"Lydia was always faking illnesses, acting like she was on the verge of death just to get their attention, so they had to be by her side.

"Oscar was always getting into trouble, so they had to clean up after him. I was the only one who never needed anything from them, so over time, they just stopped paying attention to me.

"Eventually, I realized they simply didn't like me. So I started desperately trying to love someone. Luke just happened to show up at that moment..."

Amara suddenly lunged over and clapped her hand over my mouth. "Don't say another word. Don't even think about it. If you start remembering everything, it'll just make things messier. Seriously, Hailey, don't waste your feelings on Luke—he's not worth it."