Chapter 4

The hospital room was quiet, the only sound the steady beeping of the machines.

The lawyer sent by Miguel showed up in no time, holding a ready-made divorce agreement.

His manner was courteous, but there was a clear sense of detachment.

He said, "Mr. Miguel said you're free to ask for anything you want when it comes to splitting the assets, Ms. Fraser."

I looked at the document and scoffed.

When I was eighteen, my foster brother tried to get handsy with me. I didn't even blink before stabbing him right in the chest.

I had never been the type to just accept things quietly.

I gave Miguel plenty of chances; he's the one who threw them away.

So from now on, I set the rules.

I told the lawyer.

I said, "Take it.

"Let Miguel know that if he wants a divorce, he can have it.

"But he has to come here with Colette, get down on his knees and beg me for it."

The lawyer stood there, stunned for a long moment.

Before he left, he pulled an envelope out of his briefcase.

He said, "Ms. Fraser, Colette asked me to give this to you.

"She said you'd be extremely grateful to her once you saw it."

I opened the thin envelope.

Inside was just a single family photo, but it made my blood run cold.

The photo showed a family of three.

The man was handsome and refined, the woman gentle and beautiful.

Standing between them was a little girl with pigtails, her eyes curved in a sweet, innocent smile.

Her eyes were bright, her smile pure and carefree.

Staring at the photo, I felt my chest tighten, almost suffocating.

The woman in the picture was nearly my mirror image.

And the man was Keegan Bush.

He was the chairman of the Bush Group, a business titan who'd graced the pages of financial magazines countless times.

I'd always thought someone like him had nothing to do with me.

But what really made my blood run cold was the little girl.

She was wearing the exact same pendant around her neck.

It was an exact match.

Flashes of broken memories crashed through my mind.

"Bethany, run!" someone shouted.

"Don't look back, just run!"

Memories flooded my mind: thick smoke, raging flames, a woman's desperate screams.

Then, a pair of hands grabbed me and hurled me out the window.

I cried out, clutching her head.

I gripped her head, cold sweat soaking through her hospital gown.

I finally understood Those headaches and nightmares that tormented me for years.

My phone buzzed suddenly.

Colette's name flashed on the screen.

Her voice was full of mockery. "Bethany, did you get the photo? Shocking, huh?

"My mom snatched your dad right out of your mom's hands, and now I'm taking Miguel from you, too. You and your mom? Total failures."

Colette sneered, "Oh, and I almost forgot that my mother is Janelle Pearson.

"And your mother, the one who burned to death in that fire? Her name was Lorelei Fraser.

"Keegan isn't just my father. He's yours, too.

"We're sisters, Bethany. My sweet, precious sister."

So that was the truth.

The reason Colette and I looked so uncannily alike wasn't some weird twist of fate.

It was blood. We were tied together by family, whether I liked it or not.

All along, the person Miguel was always talking about as his big benefactor, the one who helped him out...

She was actually the one who destroyed my family, killed my mom, and stole everything from me.

I didn't say a word.

Colette felt like she was hitting nothing but air, clearly annoyed.

She sneered, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you too scared to speak?

"You're just a cast-off orphan. Do you really think you stand a chance against me?

"Your mom lost everything back then. What makes you think you'll do any better?"

She sneered, "Bethany, everything you have now, even Miguel, used to be mine.

"I'm just taking back what's rightfully mine."

I finally spoke, my voice calm.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Colette was caught off guard.

I snapped, "If you're done, go tell your mom to wash her neck and wait for it."

I hung up and tossed my phone aside.

The room was dead silent. All I could hear was my own ragged breathing.

I stared at my pale face in the mirror, the one that looked so much like my mother's.

A hatred I'd never known before coiled tighter and tighter around my heart.

I was not the Bethany who let herself be fooled by love anymore.

I was Lorelei's daughter.

I threw off the covers and yanked the IV needle from my hand.

Walking over to the window, I dialed a number.

"Noah," I said.

Noah Bowman's voice came through, calm and efficient. "Ms. Fraser, what do you need?"

I said, "Look into Keegan for me.

"And his late wife, Lorelei Fraser.

"And his current wife, Janelle Pearson."

I paused, my voice icy as I continued, "Dig into the fire that happened at the Fraser family home years ago.

"I want the whole truth about what really happened.

"And use every resource we have.

"I want everything you can find on the Bush Group and the Pearson family's businesses.

"I want every secret money trail and every under-the-table deal they've got.

"I want the full report on my desk by tomorrow."

Noah didn't ask why.