Chapter 3
Evelyn's POV
I should be lying in bed waiting to die.
But when I close my eyes, all I see is my son's face.
He's only seven. No matter how much he hates me now, he's still my son.
I can't let him grow up without a mother.
The next morning, I force myself up from the storage room.
My phone screen reflects my face, pale as a corpse. The burn on my shoulder has started to fester.
I need a doctor.
Grayson's private clinic is on the top floor of a downtown building. The receptionist freezes when she sees me, then quickly ushers me into a VIP exam room.
The doctor is a middle-aged Italian man. He examines my hand, frowning.
"You've got nerve and tendon damage. You'd need microsurgery, but even then, you probably won't get full function back."
He pauses. "You're a pianist, right?"
I nod.
He doesn't say anything else.
Then he draws my blood. Ten minutes later he comes back with the results, his expression grimmer.
"The toxin's spread to your liver and kidneys. You need to be hospitalized immediately for dialysis and organ support."
He stares at me. "You've got 72 hours. Without treatment, your organs will shut down."
72 hours.
Three days.
I grip the black card.
"Can I pay with this?"
"Of course."
The nurse brings over the card reader. Enter PIN flashes on the screen.
I enter the date we first met. That night I played at the club, and he stood in the back watching the whole show.
Incorrect PIN.
I grit my teeth and try my birthday.
Incorrect.
Lucas's birthday.
Incorrect.
The nurse suggests carefully, "Maybe you should call and confirm?"
I dial Grayson's number.
It rings forever before someone picks up. Natalie's syrupy voice comes through.
"Oh, he's in the shower. Is something wrong?"
"I need the PIN for the black card."
"The black card?" She laughs. "Oh, the one he gave you. Hang on, let me ask him."
She hangs up.
I call back. The screen shows I've been blocked.
I stare at my phone and laugh out loud.
Then I enter Natalie's birthday.
PIN accepted.
The nurse looks relieved and swipes the card.
The machine beeps.
Transaction declined. Insufficient funds.
The nurse freezes. The assistant checks the system. "This account has one dollar in it."
The air goes still.
The assistant adds, "But Ms. Sterling has a five million dollar medical trust in our system."
One dollar.
Five million.
I close my eyes and push it all down.
"Thank you, doctor."
I turn and walk out.
The doctor calls after me. "You're not getting treatment? You only have 72 hours!"
I don't look back.
The sun blinds me when I step outside.
I lean against the wall and cough up more black blood.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
I think about Lucas still at the mansion. I think about how he stood there yesterday, watching me bleed without caring.
But he's still my child.
I call him.
He picks up after a few rings. In the background, Natalie's gentle voice says, "Think about this problem again, sweetheart."
"What is it." His voice is impatient.
"Lucas, it's Mom."
"I know. What do you want? I'm doing homework."
I take a deep breath. "Mom's really sick. I need to go to the hospital but I don't have any money. Can you ask your dad..."
"This again?" He cuts me off, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Last time you said Grandma died, now you're saying you're dying. How long are you gonna keep this up?"
Natalie's voice chimes in. "Honey, maybe your mom really isn't feeling well. You could ask your dad if he can help her."
Lucas sounds even angrier. "See! Even Natalie's nicer than you! All you ever do is ask for money! Wasn't Grandma's hospital bill enough? Now you're hitting me up again! I don't want to talk to you!"
He hangs up.
I hold the phone and listen to the dial tone.
Seven-year-olds don't turn out like this for no reason. This world shaped him. His father's attitude taught him how to treat me.
And I've been holding on for a child who doesn't need me.
I walk to a trash can, snap the card in half, and toss it in.
If he doesn't need a mother, then I don't need to keep fighting.
The walk back to the mansion feels endless.
I don't even know why I'm going back. Maybe it's just habit. Maybe I have nowhere else to go.
The coughing gets worse, black blood hitting the sidewalk. People step around me.
Something slams into the back of my head.
Everything goes black.
When I come to, I'm in an abandoned auto shop.
I'm tied to a chair with tape over my mouth.
Heels click across the floor.
Natalie walks in wearing a white dress, holding that custom pen.
She stops in front of me and crouches down, pressing the pen tip against my face.
"You know what I've always wondered?" She smiles. "Did you actually think he loved you?"
The pen tip slides across my skin.
"You're just a stand-in. A knockoff who looks like me."
"He put you in the mansion, let you pretend to be the boss's wife at events so his enemies would think you were his woman. Every bullet, every attack came for you instead."
She stands and circles me.
"And me? I stayed safe in the background."
"He slept with you? Just keeping up appearances. His enemies would've gotten suspicious otherwise."
"Having a kid? Continuing the bloodline. You were just there to give him an heir."
She turns and drags the pen across my cheek.
Skin splits. Blood runs down.
"This face that looks like mine makes me sick."
"Now that I'm officially marrying him, it's time for the fake to disappear."
She straightens up and laughs softly.
Footsteps echo from the shadows.
A dozen men emerge from the darkness, eyes locked on me.
