Chapter 2

I stood frozen, as if I'd just been tossed into an ice-cold pit.

My hand shook on the doorknob. I was barely holding it together as grief flooded in, blurring my eyes with tears.

So it was all fake.

I had no idea how long I'd been standing there. Just as I wiped away the last of my tears and was about to leave, the door swung open.

Kenna stormed over and shoved me hard.

"How dare you show your face here again? Do you even realize Elyse had a severe allergic reaction because of the cupcakes you brought?" she yelled.

I froze, remembering the cupcakes with cranberry sauce I'd picked out just for this year.

Kenna didn't even know Elyse was allergic to cranberries?

Marcel shot me a vicious glare, grabbed Elyse, and got into the car with Kenna. The three of them drove off without a backward glance, leaving me behind in the cold.

Still clutching the divorce papers, I got in my own car and trailed after them all the way to the hospital.

Kenna was crying into her hands in the hospital hallway. Spotting Marcel, she rushed straight into his arms.

She hiccupped between tears, "It's all my fault. The doctor said Elyse had an allergic shock.

"I just thought Vivian would remember Elyse's allergy. I can't believe she actually went out of her way to get those cupcakes.

"Maybe I'm just not fit to be Elyse's mom. I didn't even see it when someone tried to hurt her."

Just a few sobs, and suddenly, I became the villain of the story.

Marcel held her close, murmuring soft words to comfort her.

The doctor came out and scolded the two of them, giving a stern warning to pay more attention to Elyse's allergies and what she ate.

After the doctor left, it was like I'd been invisible this whole time, and they finally seemed to realize I was standing there.

Kenna threw me a cold, disappointed glare, her swollen, red eyes drilling into me.

Her voice shook with anger and heartbreak. "Vivian, I get that you can't stand me, but Elyse has been with you for seven whole years. How can you be so cruel?

"If you didn't want me anywhere near them, you could've just said it. Why did you have to hurt Elyse instead?

"You knew damn well Elyse is allergic to cranberries, and you still brought those cupcakes. Don't tell me it wasn't intentional."

Her sobs echoed through the hospital hallway, dramatic and messy. Everyone passing by had their phones out, livestreaming and snapping photos.

Someone said, "Holy crap. The ex-wife is so pathetic. Her kid's sent to the hospital by the new wife, and all she does is cry? If that were me, I'd slap her with a lawsuit right now."

"Exactly! Look at her, all teary-eyed, and the new wife won't even say sorry. What's the point of having a wife like that?" another agreed.

A third suggested, "If you ask me, just get divorced. Keep dragging this out, and it's only the kid who will get hurt."

All their gossip filled our ears, whether we wanted to hear it or not.

Marcel's face grew darker and darker. He turned to look at me, disgust written all over his face, his voice icy and chilling.

He barked, "Get over here and apologize to Kenna right now.

"Vivian, after everything I've done for you, do you really have the nerve to hurt Elyse?"

I stepped up, fixing Marcel with an unflinching stare.

I said, keeping my voice steady, "You don't trust me either?

"Has Elyse ever eaten cupcakes in her whole life? It's the one thing she absolutely hates.

"This year, I asked which cupcakes to buy, and you told me to get Nancy's favorite. That's exactly what I did. Now you're turning this on me?

"Why would Elyse eat the one thing she can't stand? Have you even thought about why that happened?"

The sound of a slap broke the air.

Before I could even finish, Marcel's hand slammed across my face.

I hit the ground hard, dazed and disbelieving, staring up at Marcel. Just for a heartbeat, I caught regret flicker in his eyes before it disappeared.

The next second, he snatched the divorce papers from my hand, scribbled his signature, and slapped them right in my face.

He barked, "Get lost!

"I've put up with your attitude long enough. I just want you to apologize, but you keep coming up with excuses.

"When you finally apologize, maybe then I'll even bother to talk you out of this divorce.

"Otherwise, we're done!"

The crowd started jeering and egging each other on, phones flashing as they shoved their cameras right in my face.

"Look! The killer's getting slapped. The killer's getting slapped," they cheered.

Marcel pulled Kenna close and strode right past me into the hospital room, not even sparing me a glance.

I shoved my way through the gawking crowd, clutched the divorce papers, and stumbled out the door.

Back home, I threw all my stuff into a bag and dialed up my inheritance lawyer.

"The paperwork's signed. Just come get me," I said, keeping my voice level.

When I hung up, for some reason, I felt eerily calm.

I'd always planned to surprise Marcel with the news that my grandmother, whom I hadn't spoken to in years, had left me a massive inheritance.

We'd been married for seven years. At first, I was right there with him, hustling and working my ass off to get his business off the ground. But after that, I never worked again.

Marcel said things were going well now, and he couldn't bear to see me out there working anymore.

My stomach was upset from the alcohol I'd consumed for him, and my body was scarred from falls at the construction site. From then on, I returned home and never worked again.

But in the last two years, Marcel's attitude flipped on its head. Suddenly, I was just some leech who only spent money and couldn't bring home a dime.

Elyse began to call me names, saying I was like a parasite that takes without giving back.

Now I finally found out that Kenna actually had a job and could earn her own money.

This difference only made things worse.

All my sacrifices never meant a damn thing to them.

If that was the case, there was nothing holding me back now.

With my things packed, I headed out without looking back.

But the moment I got to the door, a blinding pain slammed into the back of my head. Before I could even react, my vision went pitch black.

Without warning, I crumpled to the floor, completely unconscious.