Chapter 3

Samuell chimed in, "Yeah, Dad talked about her before."

I shot him a look, and my heart went cold.

My own son. Just because Keith had bribed him with a toy car to keep quiet, he'd helped them keep me fooled for years. All that time, I worked myself ragged for this family without ever knowing the truth.

Little traitor.

Just as I was lost in thought, I caught the little girl standing across the room, and my breath caught in my throat.

The skinny girl was hiding behind Rebecca, watching us with wary eyes.

She was pale and fragile, but her features looked so much like mine. It was almost uncanny.

My heart gave a sudden jolt, and a bold suspicion hit me out of nowhere.

Rebecca casually stepped in front of me, making sure I couldn't get a good look at the girl.

She shot me a cold glance and snapped, "You want me to forgive him? Fine, fork over 150,000 dollars. Not a penny less, or don't even bother."

With that, she stormed back inside and slammed the door behind her.

I just stood there, not moving. Patricia panicked and rushed over, grabbing onto the doorframe and refusing to budge.

Rebecca tried to force the door closed, but Patricia was clinging to the frame, blocking her way.

Rebecca glared at us in utter disgust and yelled, "Get out. Just seeing your family makes me sick. If it weren't for you, my husband would still be alive!"

Patricia spun around in an instant, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded desperately.

She sobbed, "Liv, I'm begging you. Please save Keith. If you help him, I swear I'll do everything I could to repay you. He's my only son. You can't just stand by and watch him go down like this!"

On the outside, I kept a straight face, but inside I was smirking.

Please, as if she were really begging me. She's just trying to guilt-trip me, sure I'd crack.

"Patricia, please don't say that. Keith's my husband. Of course, I'll get him out of this," I said, acting all concerned.

As I spoke, I squeezed Patricia's hand.

Her face instantly brightened, while Rebecca shot me a smug look, clearly thinking she'd got me right where she wanted.

But at the very next moment, I pulled out the evidence I'd brought and handed it right to Rebecca, letting out a dramatic sigh.

I said, "Patricia's got a point. Since Keith's so responsible, I can't let anyone say he's not man enough to face the music. Here's all the proof of what he did. I'll hand it over to the cops myself. No need for them to come knocking."

Then I turned as if to leave.

Samuel's face went as white as a sheet, his whole body trembling.

Patricia jumped in front of me, blocking my path.

Rebecca's face darkened in an instant.

Patricia quickly urged me. "Liv, why don't you go home and look after Sam? Let me take care of this instead."

Rebecca pretended to be forgiving. "Let's just drop the whole evidence thing. I'm sure Keith didn't mean it."

A hit-and-run, and she said he didn't mean it? Seriously?

But on the outside, I kept my face all serious and proper.

I said, "No, Rebecca. I know Keith ruined your family. He'd totally back me up on this. I promise I'll make things right for you."

I acted like I'd made up my mind and flagged down a taxi.

Heading for the car, I dialed the cops right then and there.

"Hello, I want to report a crime. This is Keith Harris' wife, and I'm turning my husband in. Back in 2003, he committed a hit-and-run that killed someone..." My voice was steady, with no hesitation at all.

I pushed past their desperate attempts to stop me and got straight into the taxi.

Patricia and Rebecca were pounding on the windows, shouting my name at the top of their lungs.

"Olivia, if you dare call the cops, I swear I'll make you pay for this!" Patricia screamed.

"Olivia, we can talk this out. Keith doesn't have to go to jail. Just get out of the car!" Rebecca yelled.

How interesting. Rebecca was suddenly acting like her "dead husband" didn't matter after all.

I ignored them completely, just telling the driver to step on it and leave them in the dust.

As we sped away, I started flipping through the documents in my hands.

Suddenly, a loose page from a DNA test report slipped out and fluttered to the floor.

My hands shook as I picked it up.

When I saw the results, it was like a punch to the gut. My worst suspicion was confirmed.

By the time I looked up again, the taxi had already pulled up in front of the police station.

A cold smirk crept across my lips. This time, I'd let Keith get exactly what he deserved. I hoped he'd enjoy his time in prison.

"You're the one who called in, right? Come on, let's get your statement down," the young officer said, waving me inside.

But after I laid out the whole story, he just looked at me, like I'd dropped a bombshell. He was completely lost for words.

"No one named Keith Harris has turned himself in recently. Are you sure about that?" the officer asked, looking genuinely puzzled.