Chapter 3

Smack!

Carlos shot me a deadly glare. "Say that again."

My face was burning and swollen, but I just laughed. "Aimee's a bitch. You're no better too."

Another slap crashed down, and blood started dripping from my ear.

His grip on my neck got even tighter.

I couldn't breathe, so I gave up fighting back.

I wasn't going to live much longer anyway. Whether I died now or later, it didn't really matter.

But in the next second, Carlos suddenly came to his senses and let go.

I dropped to the floor, hacking and gasping.

He took a step toward me, but I rasped out, "Get lost!"

He smashed the necklace onto the floor, shattering it.

Carlos said coldly, "Janice, you're so vicious. Forget about Aimee. You're nothing compared to Gloria."

I burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face.

I was the vicious one?

Aimee was the one who drugged me and set me up with him that night.

After Aimee's fatal car crash, Carlos's hatred for me only grew.

No matter how many times I tried to explain, he was convinced I'd stop at nothing to get him to marry me.

Guess when someone was dead, all anyone remembered was how great they were.

What about me?

Would Carlos ever regret it, even a little, once I was gone?

Later that night, Gloria shared a new post on social media.

She typed: [All I wanted was a necklace, and he went and bought me a whole set of antique jewelry. I'm so happy.]

Meanwhile, while I was running around at night trying to find someone to fix my necklace, I suddenly blacked out and collapsed on the street.

When I woke up again, the doctor reminded me, "With your condition, you really should have someone with you, so you don't end up having another accident like today."

I didn't say a word.

My parents died when I was young. I'd got nothing around me.

I went to pick up my meds alone, and bumped into Carlos and Gloria.

"Janice, Gloria's pregnant. She's moving in tomorrow," Carlos said, his tone cold and commanding. "You love cooking, don't you?

"Well, from now on, you're responsible for making all of Gloria's nutritious meals."

Carlos flashed a cocky grin, clearly trying to get under my skin.

He was overthinking it.

I'd already given up on him for good. No way I'd get mad over something so trivial.

"Congratulations," I said flatly.

I was about to walk past them when Carlos grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

His face was stormy. "You followed us to the hospital just to cause drama, didn't you? Now you're playing the bigger person. What's the point?"

I held up my prescription. "I'm here to see the doctor, not to stalk you."

When he saw it, his eyes narrowed.

But the next second, he shoved me away hard. "You really know how to put on a show, don't you?"

I stumbled and crashed into a trash can, ending up on the ground tangled up with the trash.

For a split second, panic flickered in Carlos's eyes.

But Gloria suddenly whined sweetly, "Carlos, my stomach hurts."

He immediately scooped her up, his face full of worry as he hurried off. "Don't worry, we're going to see the doctor."

After picking up my meds, I went straight home.

*****

Third thing on my dying checklist: move out.

When I opened the master bedroom door, I stopped in my tracks.

All my stuff was gone, replaced by a flood of pink. Everything was girlish and frilly.

There was even a skimpy bunny lingerie sprawled out on the bed.

Looked like Gloria had already moved in last night.

My things were simply stuffed into boxes and dumped in the maid's quarters.

Inside, I found a stuffed animal. It was the one Carlos had given me when I first came to live with the Maynards.

Back then, he'd pinch my cheek, grinning at me, all affectionate. "If you ever feel wronged, just come to me, alright?"

I always treasured that stuffed animal, sleeping with it in my arms every night.

He really was a good brother to me.

The Maynard men were always busy, and Elise didn't care about me at all, so Carlos would always have me tagging along wherever he went.

He even dragged me along on his dates, making me the awkward third wheel. Carlos would grin and say, "Come on, I'm taking you out for some fun."

Aimee was annoyed, but she didn't have the guts to say anything.

Things stayed that way all the way through graduation.

Aimee and Carlos started fighting, broke up, and then, out of nowhere, I ended up spending one unexpected night with him. Soon after that, Aimee died in a car crash.

Everything turned upside down.

I became the one person Carlos hated most in the world.

Thinking back on everything, I ran my fingers over the soft toy's fur one last time, then chucked it in the trash.

I was dragging my suitcase to the neighborhood entrance when Molly called. She said the divorce was filed, and now I just had to wait for the court notice.

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Taking things to court was bad news for Carlos. He'd definitely be the one to ask for a divorce first.

Just as I hung up, a bunch of burly guys suddenly showed up, shoved me into a car, and drove straight to the Maynards' private hospital.

Gloria had been in a car accident and needed an emergency blood transfusion.

Carlos grabbed me and dragged me into the ER. "Your blood type matches Gloria's. You're giving her a transfusion."

Carlos handed me off to the nurse, then took Gloria's hand and kissed it softly, his eyes rimmed with tears.

"Gloria, you have to be okay. Don't leave me," he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion.

The nurse, with a hint of envy in her eyes, tried to reassure him. "Mr. Maynard, don't worry too much. Once she gets the blood, she'll be alright."

I fought back desperately, panic rising in my chest. "No! You can't take my blood."