Chapter 5

Eugenia blurted out, "Bud, are you okay? I always knew what those psych-genetics folks say is true. If the mom isn't right in the head, the kid ends up messed up, too.

"This is all Veronica's doing. She got Annie caught up in all this, and now people laugh at you because of her.

"Everyone looks up to you in our crowd, watching to see who'll take your place. But Veronica gave you a kid who's not right in the head, and now folks are mocking you thanks to her."

Bud glanced at Veronica, his jaw tightening. He casually set his gold-rimmed glasses on the table, then gave a little wave to the bodyguard.

The very next moment, the gruesome sound of bones breaking and Veronica's screams echoed through the room.

Veronica never imagined Bud could be so ruthless, actually ordering someone to snap her arm like that. The pain was unbearable. Her whole body shook, and huge beads of sweat rolled down her face.

Bud snapped, "Veronica, do you seriously not understand what I'm saying?

"I've told you already. Everything I do is for Annie. I just want her to live without being mocked, without people calling her stupid, without a lifetime of misery.

"Why won't you ever listen to me?"

Bud let out a sigh, crouching down and gently wiping the sweat from Veronica's forehead. Meanwhile, Eugenia wasn't about to let up. She threw in her last shot at drama.

Eugenia said, "Annie's condition hasn't gotten any better all these years all because of you, Veronica.

"You're way too indecisive, never willing to make the hard call. How could Annie ever get well if you keep holding back? Mental problems need tough medicine.

"You just can't stand seeing Annie suffer, so you keep putting off her treatment."

Eugenia paused for a moment, then let out a soft, mocking laugh.

She said, "Honestly, you should be locked in a room, forced to listen to Annie's screams and cries nonstop for twenty-four hours.

"After enough time, you'll go numb. They call it desensitization therapy. It's brutal as hell, but hey, it actually works.

"Even if Annie never gets better, it's fine. I am pregnant with Bud's kid, anyway.

"The child I bring into this world won't be some freak, and definitely won't be dead weight dragging Bud down."

Bud practically exploded with excitement. He grabbed his phone, voice shaking as he almost yelled at Eugenia, "For real? Are you serious?"

When he saw the pregnancy report Eugenia showed him, he cried and said, "I am going to be a father.

"Eugenia, got any idea what we should call our kid? I don't care if they ever make it big. I just want them safe and happy for the rest of their life."

Looking at Bud's face, Veronica suddenly remembered the day she learned she was pregnant. He'd looked the same way back then, eyes shining with tears, telling her how thrilled he was to finally be a dad.

Veronica realized that Bud had moved on to someone else then.

The cramped underground storeroom was locked up tight, and Annie's screams and agonized cries played nonstop, blaring at Veronica twenty-four hours a day.

The sound got everywhere, burrowing into Veronica's ears, messing with her head, and gnawing at her insides. Every breath she took felt like pain was etched into her bones.

Bud was hell-bent on making her suffer. Nobody came to treat her shattered arm, and she didn't even get a bite to eat the whole day.

More than once, when she was lying on the ground like some stray dog, Veronica's mind would start playing tricks on her. All she could hear was Annie's tearful voice. "Mommy, it hurts."

Veronica lost all sense of time inside that locked room. She was sure she'd die there. One day, Bud finally told someone to unlock the door.

The moment Veronica was finally free, she went to her bedroom and found the divorce papers with Bud's signature on them.

Veronica called up a lawyer. "Mr. Day, I've made up my mind. I want a divorce."

Veronica was exhausted. She took several shaky breaths before she could even push the words out.

"How soon can I have the divorce settled?" Veronica asked.

Esmond Day checked the files quickly before answering her, "Mr. Burgess signed a prenuptial agreement. If you're really set on this, you'll have half the assets and the divorce papers in your hands within a month, tops."

Veronica let out a shaky breath, but even after all that, she still couldn't shake the ache weighing on her heart.