Chapter 4

"What you should do right now is call the police and drop the charges."

"Audrey's still young. A record like this would ruin the rest of her life."

I straightened up and met his eyes.

"If it had been me who set her up, took the ugly photos, and posted them in the group to make everyone laugh at her, what would you do to me, Tyler?"

My question caught him off guard.

No answer, was it? I turned to walk away. I'd barely taken a few steps when his voice came after me, threatening, warning.

"If you don't want your parents' ashes smashed, you'd better drop the charges right now."

I froze. I hadn't thought he would go this far for Audrey.

I'd told myself I wouldn't let it hurt anymore, and still something closed around my heart and squeezed until I could hardly breathe.

For him to say it meant he would do it.

"Tyler, my mom and dad died in the sea saving your whole family!"

He said nothing. His eyes stayed red the whole time.

A moment later he pulled out his phone, and the fear got to me first. I called and dropped the charges before he could move.

The air around us went silent. In the end I was the one who broke it.

"I'll send the divorce papers to your email. Remember to sign them."

He whipped his head around and stared at me, stunned. He hadn't expected me to ask for a divorce.

"Eve, you need to understand. Leave me, and you'll have nothing. You'll have nowhere to go."

I didn't care anymore. I turned and went inside.

I sat in the room the whole afternoon, and once the sky went dark, I got up to shower.

Halfway through, the fire alarm went off again.

I already knew someone had come to mess with me, so I kept washing, calm and unhurried.

After a while smoke drifted into the bathroom, the alarm shrieking on and on, and outside came the running and the panicked screaming. I threw on a robe and rushed out.

There was lubricant spread across the floor, and I went flying.

"Ha, this idiot fell for it again."

"Pay up."

"Damn, Eve, you're dumber than a pig. Same trick, twice."

I looked at the pack of them, humiliated and furious. Audrey glared back at me, smug.

"What are you staring at, you old hag?"

"This is what you get for calling the cops on me. Report it again and Tyler will smash your parents' graves."

"Whoa, then we've got nothing to be scared of either."

Every one of them, all of them, was picking on me for being an orphan. If Tyler hadn't given the nod, how would any of them dare?

"That's enough. All of it stops here. Get out, every one of you."

Tyler had come in, holding the lobster Audrey loved most.

Audrey walked over and reached out to take it. I grabbed something and threw it at Tyler.

"Tyler, all of you will pay for this."

I hurt my leg, and limped back into the room.

Tyler watched my defeated back, then turned a cold stare on all of them.

They left in a hurry. Tyler didn't come find me. He was certain I wouldn't dare leave him.

Audrey wanted to stay the night, and he agreed.

When she came out of the shower, she went further and demanded that Tyler dry her hair himself.

It was obviously meant to humiliate me. After I'd packed my things and stepped out, talk came drifting from the next room.

"Tyler, I'm carrying your child. Why won't you just divorce that old hag?"

"There, there. She can't develop anymore. Once you have the baby, you'll have my mother's approval."

"What? She can't get pregnant?"

"Didn't you say you wanted her uterus removed? While she was unconscious and getting the miscarriage procedure, I had the doctor take her uterus out."

My eyes flew open. I stood there listening to the cruel truth, unable to believe it.

He heard the noise in there, and still he didn't come out to explain.

He only said one thing: "The place of Mrs. Gilbert is yours forever. What more could you want?"

Then came Audrey's smug laughter, and after it the filthy, coaxing moans.

And right then the microwave exploded.

Flames shot out in every direction. There was no time to grieve. I rushed to pull the fire alarm.

"Tyler, get out here now, there's a fire!"

Audrey clung to him for dear life and wouldn't let him leave.

"Don't believe her. She's just messing with us to try and win you back."

"I want to sleep with you right in front of her face."

The fire had already spread to their door. Getting out would be hard now.

I rushed out, running and calling the fire department as I went.

Behind me came a shrill, agonized scream: "Ah! It really is on fire, get up!"

"I can't! I think I'm stuck!"