Chapter 6

In the days that followed, I hardly left my room except to eat.

All I hoped for was that the divorce day came soon. As for the endless ways Lydon and his two sons fawned over Agnes, I ignored them all.

Very soon, Agnes’s birthday arrived.

Lydon originally wanted to throw a grand banquet, but she gently refused: “Let’s just spend it at home. I don’t like big crowds.”

Kay chimed right in: “Perfect. I don’t like outsiders cozying up anyway. It’s best if it’s just our family together!”

On the day of the birthday, the villa was decorated with lavish warmth. The servants bustled about; Lydon personally set a birthday hat on her head.

“Make a wish.” His eyes were tender.

She clasped her hands and closed her eyes in the candlelight. After she blew out the candles, he and the two children presented their gifts one by one—

He gave her a set of antique jewelry; Kay presented the key to a limited-edition sports car; Chuck cradled the deed to a private islet.

Her eyes reddened with emotion. “Thank you… all of you.”

Then she turned to me—the one who had remained silent—and smiled sweetly. “Blanca, what gift did you prepare for me?”

Every gaze fell on me.

I looked at the expectation in her eyes and said evenly, “I didn’t prepare a gift.”

I didn’t want to—and I didn’t see the point.

Kay’s face darkened at once. “Mom! How could you? You knew perfectly well today is Aunt Agnes’s birthday!”

Chuck pouted. “No manners at all!”

The brothers exchanged a glance; Kay’s eyes suddenly lit. “Chuck, doesn’t Mom have lots of nice things Dad gave her? Let’s pick one for Aunt Agnes!”

Chuck nodded at once. “Okay!”

Before I could react, the two of them thundered upstairs and headed straight for my bedroom.

“Wait!” My face changed. Never mind that my leg hadn’t healed—I lurched after them.

When I pushed the door open, they were already rummaging. Jewelry boxes had been overturned to the floor; drawer contents were scattered everywhere.

“Found it!” Kay held up a silver necklace; the pendant was a tiny crescent moon. “This one’s pretty!”

My pupils contracted in an instant—that was the last gift Roger gave me before he died.

“No!” I rushed forward to grab it. “Your uncle left that to me!”

Kay slipped aside nimbly. “It’s just a necklace. Can’t you have Uncle buy you another one?”

My voice shook. “He’s already dead!”

Chuck curled his lip, impatient. “You’re lying again! Last time it was only a dummy. The real Uncle is traveling! He said he’d bring me a present!”

With that, he leaned over the railing and shouted down the stairs: “Aunt Agnes! We found the gift Mom’s giving you! You’re going to love it!”

I reached out again to snatch the necklace, but Kay gave me a sudden hard shove. “Why are you so stingy!”

“Ah—!”

My foot slipped. I tumbled head over heels down the staircase!

“Bang!”

The back of my head cracked against a step; blood instantly streamed from my brow.

I lay in a pool of blood, vision blurring, a buzzing in my ears.

“Mom!” The brothers were terrified and scrambled downstairs.

Kay’s voice shook. “I—I didn’t mean to… it’s your fault for grabbing…”

Chuck burst right into tears. “Mom, you’re bleeding…”

At the commotion, Lydon strode over; when he saw the scene, his face changed. “What happened?”