Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, an IV was hooked up to my arm. Isaac sat beside the bed, gripping my fingertips. His eyes were bloodshot.

The moment he saw that I was awake, he hurriedly handed me a glass of warm water. However, I shoved it away in disgust and immediately looked around for my phone.

"Grace, are you still having trouble breathing? I put ointment on all the hives. The itching should be gone now, right?"

My phone wasn't anywhere nearby. I pulled the IV needle from the back of my hand and got up from the bed. That was when I felt something was wrong.

"Where am I? Don't tell me you gave my parents' house to Candy too."

A flicker of guilt crossed Isaac's face as he tried to explain, "Candy never sleeps well at our place. It's quieter here and better for her recovery. I just let her stay for a little while…"

My entire body began to shake.

I looked around my bedroom. The vanity my father had handcrafted for me was gone, ripped apart and turned into a doghouse. The doll my mother had handsewn for me when I was a child had become a chew toy. Stuffing was spilling from the bite marks.

I ran to my parents' bedroom. The family portrait of the three of us was gone, along with my parents' wedding photos. In their place hung pictures of Isaac and Candy wrapped in each other's arms.

The bed I had never dared clean, to preserve the last traces of my parents' scent, was now a complete mess. The room reeked of a stranger's perfume.

"Grace, please calm down. Once Candy leaves, I'll have everything restored to exactly the way it was."

Isaac followed after me, trying to soothe me.

Five years ago, my parents were murdered by a business rival. Their company collapsed overnight, and all our accounts were frozen. Even this house had been repossessed and auctioned off.

Isaac had been the one who bought it back for me. He had carefully preserved everything exactly as my parents left it. He had stayed by my side through my darkest days.

Yet now, that same man had destroyed the last sanctuary I had left, all to please another woman.

Outside, Candy's laughter drifted through the open window. "Good boy, Buddy! You even know how to crack sunflower seeds!"

My heart clenched as I sprinted downstairs.

The backyard was a complete mess. The sunflower garden my parents had planted with their own hands was ruined. Candy's dog was tearing apart the fallen sunflower heads, chewing greedily.

I snapped. I grabbed the shovel that was leaning against the fence and stormed toward the dog.

Candy immediately shrieked, "Isaac! This psycho is trying to kill Buddy!"

In the next second, a violent slap knocked me to the ground. A high-pitched ringing exploded in my ears. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

For a long moment, I couldn't get up.

Isaac hurried forward, trying to help me up with the same hand he'd used to hit me. "Grace… Are you okay? Why would you fight with a dog?"

I shoved his hand away and roared, "You know how much those flowers meant to me!"

Candy hugged the mutt protectively and snapped back, "You left all this stuff here on purpose. You keep using it as an excuse to force your way back into Isaac's life and ruin our relationship. I've put up with you long enough!"

As she spoke, she reached for the last undamaged sunflower in the garden.

"Don't!"

I lunged toward it, but Isaac grabbed my arms and held me back.

"I can spare this flower." Candy smiled, cruel and triumphant. "Everything in that suitcase of yours and everything you're wearing was all bought with Isaac's money, wasn't it? I read your divorce agreement.

"You walked away with nothing, which means none of these things belong to you. Take off your clothes, and this flower is yours."