Chapter 2

The video was just over a minute long.

In it, my dad was clutching his chest, his hands shaking badly.

"Miss, please, my medication..."

Keira rolled her eyes and tossed his heart pills to the foot of the bed.

"Call Lena first. Tell her to finish the draw before she comes.

"The Lowells are holding the draw today. If she runs off, Spencer's the one who looks bad."

Dad's lips had gone white.

"Medicine..."

Someone nearby reached for the call button. Keira put out an arm and stopped them.

"Mind your own business."

The next second, Dad slid off the edge of the bed.

The video ended.

I stared at the black screen and didn't move for a long time.

Three years ago, during my second draw, the hospital called, and I ran out in tears.

Spencer came after me and wiped my eyes.

"Just ten more minutes. We can't break the rules."

Dad didn't make it those ten minutes.

Then Keira called, and Spencer left.

By the time he came back, I'd already signed the death certificate.

Another message popped up.

"Someone used my mother to threaten me back then. She passed away a few days ago. That's the only reason I'm finally reaching out."

I sent the video and the screenshots to my attorney, Daniel Reeves, and asked him to preserve the evidence.

When I went home to pack, the door code wouldn't work no matter what I tried.

I thought of how easily Keira had unlocked Spencer's phone and punched in 1224.

Beep.

The door opened.

It was her birthday.

Her sneakers sat in the entryway. A game controller lay tossed on the couch.

In the bedroom, my clothes had been shoved into a corner. Her pajamas hung right beside Spencer's shirts.

When the house was first finished, Spencer wouldn't even let his drunk childhood friends crash here.

He'd said, "This is our home. No one else stays here."

Apparently, "no one else" had exceptions.

I'd just zipped my suitcase when Keira walked in.

"You're actually leaving, Lena?

"It's just a marriage certificate. Is it really that big a deal?"

I held the video up in front of her.

Her expression stiffened for a moment.

"What's some crappy video supposed to prove?

"Your dad had bad luck. Don't pin it on me. He had to go and have an emergency on the day of the Lowell draw. If anything, I'm the one who got jinxed."

Spencer walked in carrying my favorite soup.

When he saw I was barefoot, he set my slippers down at my feet.

"You're pregnant. Can't you at least look out for the baby?"

I didn't move.

"Did you change the door code?"

He sounded impatient.

"Her place is being renovated, so she's staying here a few days. She hates carrying keys, so I changed it while I was at it.

"It's just a code. Don't blow it out of proportion."

Keira leaned against the fridge, smiling.

"Lena, sometimes Spencer works late and doesn't make it back to the estate to be with you. As his bro, somebody's got to keep an eye on him, right?

"Just remember my birthday, and you can get in, no problem."

It was absurd.

An outsider was teaching me how to get into my own home.

I pushed my phone toward Spencer.

"I gave the video to my attorney."

He didn't even look up.

"Withdraw it.

"The wedding's next week. Keira can't get into trouble, and the Lowells can't afford the embarrassment."

"So my dad's life has to make way for the wedding?"

"Lena, I'm giving you a chance to back down.

"Don't use a dead man to pressure me."

I nodded.

"I'm not withdrawing it."

Keira lunged for my phone.

I jerked back, and my lower back slammed into the dining table. A sharp cramp seized my belly.

Blood quickly soaked through the hem of my dress.

Spencer's face changed. He started to bend down to pick me up.

But Keira covered her mouth.

"Spencer, I'm dizzy..."

He froze for a few seconds. In the end, he helped me onto the couch, then turned and lifted Keira into his arms.

"You've always been the healthy one. Don't compete with her over this.

"I'll get her downstairs first."

The door shut.

I called 911 myself.

In the ambulance, my director, Grace Holloway, emailed me for the third time about the European assignment.

This time, I didn't say no.