Chapter 3

The police treated the report as a suspected attempted murder.

That afternoon, two patrol cars and a tow truck pulled up outside Ethan's repair shop. Officers taped off the area, impounded my car as evidence, and hauled it away.

The scene happened to be caught on video by Gloria Ashley, a cousin from my hometown, Harrison. She happened to be in Featherington on business, and she loved gossip.

Without a second thought, she forwarded the video to my father, who was in the middle of a poker game. She even exaggerated what she'd seen in a voice message.

"Hey, you've got to see this! The police and a tow truck are there with crime scene tape everywhere! Lyla's car is leaking fluid. I bet she crashed and died!"

My father had been studying the cards in his hand. The moment he heard the message, his eyes lit up.

"Full house!" He slapped his cards onto the table, grinning so broadly that the wrinkles around his eyes deepened.

"Today's my lucky day! I'm about to be rich!"

He was so excited his hands shook. He didn't even bother collecting his winnings before calling Lillian.

"Lillian! Where are you? Your sister's car got hauled away by the police! Gloria saw it with her own eyes. The brakes must've failed. She's dead! Two million! We've got two million!"

Meanwhile, Lillian was still humiliated after having her credit card declined in front of Hayden's family.

The moment she heard the news, she straightened her back. She switched the call to speaker and bragged loudly in front of Hayden and his parents.

"Did you hear that? My sister and her whole family are dead! That two-million-dollar insurance payout is all mine. Forget an $80,000 dowry. I'll hand your family a million dollars tomorrow!"

Hayden's parents exchanged uncertain looks.

"Will it really work like that? Insurance companies don't pay out that fast."

Lillian puffed out her chest. "Everything Lyla ever had became mine if I wanted it. It's been that way our whole lives. Now that she's dead, of course the money belongs to me."

To show off even more, she posted on social media.

[Life is so unpredictable. Rest in peace, Lyla and Trenton. As the only one left to hold this family together, I'll take good care of Dad. Tomorrow I'll treat myself to a brand-new Porsche to help heal my broken heart.]

Back in my hospital room, my phone lit up.

A cousin who had never approved of my father's behavior, Carol Ashley, had sent me a screenshot of Lillian's post.

[Lyla, are you okay? Has Lillian lost her mind? Why is she announcing your death online?]

Even though I'd expected something like this, seeing those cold, heartless words still made my chest ache. These were my blood relatives. They were standing on my grave, dreaming about getting rich.

Jasper caught a glimpse of the screenshot over my shoulder. Veins bulged in his neck as he shot to his feet. "I'm going over there right now and settling this with those animals!"

"Dad, don't." I stopped him, locked my phone, and looked up with frightening calm. "Let them enjoy their fantasy a little longer. The higher they soar, the harder they'll fall."

The words had barely left my mouth when a sharp pain tore through my abdomen.

I gasped.

"Trenton..." My face went white as I clutched my stomach. Cold sweat instantly beaded across my forehead.

"I... I think my water just broke..."

Trenton froze for a split second before slamming the emergency call button beside the bed.

At that very moment, my father was dragging Lillian toward the door, with Hayden and his parents hurrying after them.

"Come on! We're heading to the hospital morgue to identify the bodies. We need those death certificates as fast as possible so we can collect the insurance money first thing tomorrow morning!"