Chapter 1

A week before Christmas, James Goodwin brought his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Fields, home. She had been released from prison months earlier.

"Chloe's going to stay with us for a while," James said, his tone casual.

"Her time inside messed up her stomach. Starting tomorrow, you and Martha need to go to the farmers market by five every morning for the freshest ingredients for her recovery.

"Also, she's scared of the dark. I need to tuck her in at night. You'll be moving to the guest room from now on."

I didn't say a word. I just packed my things and moved into the guest room.

The servants exchanged uneasy glances, probably worried I would lose it.

"She'd never get mad at me," James said, totally confident. "All I have to do is snap my fingers, and she comes running."

The servants smiled stiffly, but the looks they threw at my back were full of contempt. In their eyes, I was just a well-trained pet.

What they didn't know was that the lottery ticket I'd bought had just won big.

This time, I was truly leaving.

*****

I returned to the master bedroom and started gathering the few things I owned.

Even as Mrs. Goodwin, I didn't have any decent clothes, shoes, or handbags.

The only halfway decent bags I had were the ones James threw at me after a business dinner.

Over the years, when James was in a good mood, he'd throw me some cash. I saved every cent for my family's medical bills.

The only thing I owned that was actually worth anything was an emerald necklace.

The stone wasn't big and wasn't of the finest quality, but it was the last thing my grandmother gave me before she died.

I picked it up and held the cool, smooth stone in my palm.

"Wow, that necklace is gorgeous," Chloe breathed, gliding into the room.

James gave me a cold look. "Give the necklace to Chloe."

I gripped the necklace tighter but didn't say a word.

James frowned. "Did you hear me? It's just a necklace. I'll get you another one. Be reasonable."

*****

I thought back to two months ago, right after Chloe got out. She said she wanted to be an influencer. Without hesitating, James told me to hand over the art and aesthetics account I'd spent seven years building.

That account had over three million followers. I built it from the ground up, post by post, comment by comment.

I said no. Chloe didn't know the first thing about art. There was no way she could run that account.

That same night, James took me to a work dinner. On the way back, he deliberately exited the highway onto a dark, winding mountain road outside the city.

He just left me there. "Ungrateful thing," he snapped before speeding off.

I walked for more than four hours on that dark, desolate mountain road before I finally got home.

In the end, James gave Chloe the account anyway. She started posting risqué videos, and the platform banned it.

James promised he would make her apologize, but he never did.

*****

"Are you going to give her the necklace or what?" James's voice snapped me back.

He knew exactly what that necklace meant to me. He was simply choosing to play dumb.

"Emily, are you serious? After all the money I've spent on you and your family, you can't even give up some worthless necklace?"

James seized my wrist and tried to pry my fingers open.

Chloe leaned in, acting like she was keeping the peace. "James, if she doesn't want to give it, just let her keep it."

But even as she said that, her hand shot out and grabbed the other end of the necklace.

She yanked hard, and the necklace slipped from my hand.

I reached out to grab it, but before my fingers could even brush against her, Chloe let out a scream and stumbled back into the dresser.

The vase on the dresser wobbled and fell, shattering into pieces on the floor.

The beads from the necklace scattered across the floor with a sharp clatter.

Chloe immediately played the victim. "Emily, if you didn't want me to have it, you could've just said so. Why'd you have to push me?"

A piece of porcelain had cut Chloe's neck, and a thin line of blood started to trickle down.

"Emily! You vicious bitch!" James yelled, shoving me hard.

My stomach slammed into the sharp corner of the bedpost.

I let out a choked gasp, and cold sweat broke out on my back.

My stomach had been cramping since the night before, but James brushed it off, saying I was overreacting.

He was about to leave because Chloe wanted candied apples from that old candy shop on the east side of town.

Before he left, one of the servants asked if he should take me to the hospital.

He just shrugged. "Whatever."

I grabbed the bed frame to pull myself up, then bent down to gather the beads.

But James kicked me hard in the back of my knee. "Have some decency. Chloe just got out of prison, and you can't stand her being here?"

I lost my balance and fell hard onto my knees.

My knees landed right on the broken porcelain, and blood immediately started seeping through.

At the same time, the pain in my stomach got worse.

James grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back. "Apologize to Chloe."

From across the room, Chloe gave me a look of pure, blatant triumph.

"James, my stomach... it hurts so much..." I gasped out.

"Stop pretending. You always pull this act. Don't you ever get tired of it?" James snapped.

The family doctor, George Carter, rushed in with his medical bag.

James didn't even glance at me.

He carefully lifted Chloe into his arms. "Dr. Carter, check her wound."

While the doctor tended to Chloe, I fought through the sharp pain in my stomach and gathered the beads.

Then I dragged myself out of the room.

I knew that if I stayed any longer, lingering where I wasn't wanted, it might be the end of me.