Chapter 4

"Are you here to hurt Joyce again?"

This was my mother. Toward me she had only malice, never once concern.

I told her plainly why I'd come. Her face darkened. "When did I ever take your money? I think you've gone crazy over money."

Kerry grabbed my arm, his own face just as grim.

"I give you so much every month and it's still not enough? You have to squeeze money out of your aging mother too? How much can one person possibly spend?"

"Thelma Fleming, when did you turn into such a gold-digger?"

I laughed coldly and lifted my head, staring straight at him. "The only thing you ever gave me was a pile of debt. What money?"

"If I had money, why would I be living like this? Working several jobs a day, dressing up like a clown to sell flowers on the street."

Maybe he pictured what I used to look like. His brow furrowed and his body went slightly rigid. "How could you be short of money? I set up an insurance policy for you in advance. Twenty thousand comes in every month, right on schedule."

"And what debt? When did I ever leave you any debt?"

Looking at him, it was as though things really were the way he said. He'd worn the same expression back in the ballroom when he heard about the debt.

My mother cut in, her voice thin with guilt. "She's putting on an act, trying to win your sympathy. You're Joyce's husband now. Don't let her fool you."

So the debt was my own mother's doing, and she'd staged the whole show for me, and helped herself to the money Kerry had set aside for me while she was at it.

I was about to speak when Tristan came running over, his face white.

"Joyce got hit by someone Thelma hired. She's bleeding badly. They're trying to save her at the hospital right now."

My mother slapped me across the face. "You jinx, why would you hurt my daughter?"

I opened my mouth to say I hadn't, but Kerry seized a fistful of my hair. "If anything happens to Joyce, I will never let you off."

He dragged me into the hospital. The doctor said Joyce was hemorrhaging and needed a transfusion, and without a second thought Kerry shoved me forward.

"She's the same blood type as Joyce. Take hers."

But I'd been anemic since childhood. I couldn't give blood at all. I shook my head and refused. "I didn't hire anyone to hit her. I'm not giving blood."

Kerry's hand flew up and struck me across the face. "You're the one who hurt her. If not your blood, then whose?"

The doctor glanced at me and couldn't bring himself to do it. "She looks too thin, and her color's bad. She probably doesn't meet the requirements to donate. We actually have some in the blood bank, we could—"

Kerry grabbed the doctor by the collar, his eyes a threat. "I said take hers, so you take hers. Or do you not want this job anymore?"

In the end they held me down and drew the blood, and didn't stop until two full bags were taken. I went weak and passed out.

When I woke I heard the nurses talking.

"Mr. Donaldson really does dote on his wife. I heard she was in a car accident, so he went straight and drew blood from his wife's sister. Later it turned out it was just a joke his wife played, and he wasn't even angry."

"It's just a pity for that sister they drew blood from. She got turned into part of someone else's little love game."

So all of it had been fake.

I stumbled to my feet just as Kerry pushed the door open. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Don't blame Joyce. She only did this because your showing up left her feeling so insecure."

"I'll make it up to you after this. Don't blame Joyce, she—"

Before he could finish, his phone rang. He took the call and hurried out.

I set a notebook on the hospital bed and told the nurse to give it to him if he came back.

Then I left. When Kerry came back and saw the notebook, he was completely stunned.