Chapter 4

Martha rolled her eyes, scoffing with utter indifference.

"What, those dusty pieces of junk?"

"They looked ugly and brought bad luck into the house."

"Chloe said she's pregnant and shouldn't be looking at old, dead things."

"So I had the maid toss them into the dumpster in the backyard."

CRACK.

My mind went completely blank.

Those were the last physical memories of my parents on this earth!

I sprinted toward the backyard like a madwoman.

There, inside the foul-smelling garbage bin, lay the shattered remnants of the antique crystal vases.

Broken into thousands of jagged, unfixable shards.

The sharp edges tore at my eyes.

And in that instant, every lingering ember of humanity I felt for Brandon Hayes was extinguished forever.

I dropped to my knees, frantically scooping up the jagged pieces with my bare hands.

The sharp glass sliced deep into my palms.

Blood dripped onto the broken crystal, vivid and gruesome.

"Serena, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Brandon strolled out behind me.

Seeing me kneeling in the dirt, he scowled with deep annoyance.

"They're just two stupid vases!"

"I'll buy you ten brand-new designer ones tomorrow!"

"Do you really have to act like a deranged lunatic out here?"

I slowly lifted my head.

Looking at the man I had loved for eight years, I finally realized how blind I had been.

"Stupid vases?"

My teeth gritted so hard they nearly cracked.

"Brandon, those were my mother’s dying gift to me!"

"When you begged me on your knees to sell my family home to fund your startup, what did you promise me?"

"You swore on your life you would treasure them like sacred family heirlooms!"

"And now?"

"You threw them into the trash for a mistress!"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

Brandon snapped as if burned by the truth.

He rushed forward and kicked the metal garbage bin over with a deafening crash.

"Serena, don't test my patience!"

"How many times are you going to bring up the past?"

"Yes, I owed you back then, but aren't I compensating you with real cash right now?!"

"Is a hundred million not enough to buy your two pieces of broken glass?!"

"I'm telling you right now: you move out tonight!"

"There is no room for you in this family anymore!"

He turned around, grabbing Chloe’s hand to walk away.

I surged up from the ground.

From behind, I clamped my bloody hands around his collar.

"Brandon Hayes, you put every single shard back together today, or none of you are walking out of here alive!"

I held on like a ghost demanding retribution, refusing to let go.

Brandon struggled violently to break free.

"Let go of me! You crazy bitch!"

Amid the scuffle, Chloe suddenly let out a theatrical shriek.

"Brandon, my stomach...!"

"Oh God, my stomach hurts so much!"

She clutched her abdomen and dropped gracefully to the grass.

Brandon’s face turned white with terror.

He spun around and shoved me with every ounce of his strength.

"Get the hell away from us!"

Caught completely off guard, my balance vanished.

I fell backward.

Directly behind me was the steep, unlit concrete stairway leading down to the basement storage cellar.

In that split second of weightlessness, I saw a flicker of panic flash through Brandon's eyes.

Just for a microsecond.

The very next moment, he didn't even look back. He scooped Chloe into his arms.

"Chloe! Hold on, baby! I'm taking you to the hospital right now!"

I tumbled down the concrete steps like a broken ragdoll.

Blinding, searing pain shattered through my bones.

My forehead slammed hard against the unforgiving stone floor.

Warm blood washed over my vision, painting the world a crimson blur.

Before the darkness dragged me under, I heard the roar of his luxury sports car tearing out of the driveway.

Brandon Hayes had sped off with his mistress.

Leaving me behind to bleed out alone in the freezing, pitch-black cellar.

Good.

Brandon.

This was the debt you owed me.

This fall severed every last bond of our marriage.

And it slammed shut the very last door to your survival.