Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

3.

"Daisy, June and Sam grew up together, and she saved his life. Marrying into the Gilbert family, you ought to kneel and thank June for it."

"So what if Sam spends a little more on her, treats her a little better!" My mother-in-law jabbed a finger at me, screaming, her eyes ready to swallow me whole.

June glanced at Sam, then turned to me with a face full of wounded innocence. "If it bothers you, the promise Sam made me, I'll tear it up right now, starting this second."

"I'm never getting married. He and I are just childhood friends. You don't have to guard against me."

From the day I met Sam, June had been at our side the whole time.

She called herself a woman who'd never marry, said she wanted the joy and freedom of the single life.

But for fifteen years, Sam poured four times the energy and four times the money into her that he ever gave me.

Little by little, I became June's one-fourth.

I looked at Sam and wouldn't let it go. "Are you willing to tear it up?"

"Daisy, keeping your word is the foundation of being a decent person. Even if you're my wife, I won't let you turn me into an ingrate. That's the one line I won't cross." Sam looked at me, all disappointment.

"Your word means keeping the promise you made to her. And the promise you made to me?" I cried the question out at him.

Was it just because I was his wife that keeping faith no longer applied between us?

Sam said nothing.

"She gave her life for yours, so she gave herself to you. If you hadn't shoved your way in, June would be my daughter-in-law by now. And you have the nerve to force them to tear up their pact." My mother-in-law stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

My daughter burst into terrified wails. I wiped my eyes, my cheek burning, and rushed to soothe her.

"Go feed the baby, she's hungry. Stop dwelling on things and making yourself miserable." June watched me, savoring it.

"Honey, let me apologize for Mom. She shouldn't have hit you. Go inside and feed the baby first." Sam's apology was a formality. Every time his mother picked a fight, this was his response.

By the time I'd fed my daughter, rocked her to sleep, and came back out, the living room was empty. All that was left was a signed insurance policy.

I opened my phone. Sure enough, June had posted again online, showing off the four-million-dollar policy Sam had given her.

[The baby isn't even born yet, and Mr. Gilbert's fourfold devotion has already arrived.]

I screenshotted it and saved it. Then I took my marriage certificate, my ID, and Sam's card, and went to the bank to pull the transaction records.

Line after line of transfers, more than sixty million all together.

Four of them were property payments. Behind my back, he'd bought June four luxury apartments.

I hadn't known a thing about it.

June hadn't posted these online either. So they both understood these were marital assets, Sam's and mine.

Sam's call came through, a thread of exhaustion in his voice. "Honey, I bought you a pair of gold bracelets. My secretary will bring them over. It's hard on you, taking care of our daughter. Don't hold anything against my mom."

I gripped the phone. "Sam, mine is one pair. Is June's four pairs of gold bracelets?"

"Daisy, haven't you made enough of a scene? June saved my life. Even if I gave her ten pairs of gold bracelets, it would be no more than she deserves." Sam hung up, furious.

I gripped the phone. Sam, June saved the life you had at eighteen. But this fortune of yours, worth hundreds of millions, I built it beside you, drinking until I threw up blood, working through the nights.

I wore my body down. Carrying our daughter, I was spotting from week eight to week thirteen, fighting the whole way to keep her, and only then, out of necessity, did I become a stay-at-home mom.

I sent Sam a message. "I want to see you within the hour."