Chapter 3

Mom died seven years ago from a sudden allergic reaction. That day, she was testing a new allergy treatment in the lab when she suddenly had trouble breathing. By the time she was taken to the hospital, it was already too late.

I never questioned it when everyone claimed it was an accident.

But the abnormal drug reaction listed on her death certificate matched Mom's known allergy exactly.

And I knew she wasn't a careless person. I had to find out the truth and get her justice.

By the time I arrived, the sky had lightened. Dad had always wanted a son, so he stayed by Brie's side at the hospital.

As for Vance, he had sent me a bunch of messages.

"Tiana, stop overthinking things."

"Our engagement will go on as planned."

"Don't make things difficult for your dad."

"Calm down. Don't be as stubborn as your mom."

How ridiculous.

Vance had no business mentioning Mom.

I put my phone aside and opened the safe at home. Inside were Mom's private diaries, her original handwritten formulas, and an old voice recorder she had left behind. I rarely looked at any of them, because every time I did, it felt like I was losing her all over again.

The handwriting on the last few pages of the diary was messy.

"Brie has been coming to the lab a lot lately, asking too many questions she shouldn't be asking. She's smart, but it's a shame she has no principles."

"Mike says I'm too cynical, but Vance is too calculating. I'm worried because Tiana trusts him too much."

My scalp prickled.

Seven years ago, Vance was still just a poor student I'd brought home and decided to support financially. Now I realized that I was the one who had set the domino effect in motion.

The recorder had been dead for years, so I plugged a charging cable into it. The moment the red light came on, my heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. An hour later, I could finally turn it on.

There was only one recording.

Mom's voice came on first. "Brie, why did you touch my reagent cabinet?"

Then came Brie's younger, more innocent voice. "Professor Roth, I just wanted to learn."

Mom sneered. "Are you a thief? Not only did you steal things, but you stole someone's man too. Are you so desperate to be a homewrecker?"

After a brief silence, Brie's smug, brazen laughter came through. "Professor Roth, don't make it sound so bad. Vance and Tiana are just dating. They aren't married, are they? I didn't do anything wrong."

The recording abruptly cut off.

I sat in the study, overwhelmed by mixed emotions.

It was clear to me then that Brie and Vance had been messing around behind my back for seven years. I'd been living a lie the whole time.

Determined to keep myself from dwelling on it further, I backed up the recording, the prenatal report, and the video of Vance when he was poisoned. After gathering all the evidence, I contacted my lawyer, Jerry Bane.

"I want to call off the engagement and revoke all authorization for Vance to use my mom's formulas. Also, I want to reopen the investigation into my mom's death."

Jerry was silent for a moment. "Ms. Kemp, your dad may not agree to this."

I looked out the window.

Dad had once loved me dearly too. After Mom died, he held me and cried, saying that we only had each other left.

Not long after that, he married Brie and began favoring her instead.

He once told me, "Being with me despite what people think hasn't been easy for Brie. You need to give her a little more leeway."

I shook my head, trying to shake off those unnecessary thoughts. "It doesn't matter. What's in my name is mine to decide."

I had barely hung up when I heard footsteps outside. Brie was standing at the door, dressed in a white maternity dress, one hand resting lightly on her stomach.

She flashed me a vicious grin. "Tiana, I knew you were investigating."

My eyes blazed with fury as I stared Brie down. "Were you behind my mom's death?"

Brie hid her smile behind her hand. "Do you have proof?"

I tightened my grip on the recorder, and Brie's eyes fell on it.

"Oh, so you really did have something."

The next second, she turned around and slammed herself against the doorframe. Her forehead split open, and blood immediately gushed down her cheek.

Brie screamed, "Tiana, please don't hurt my baby!"

Dad's panicked voice came from downstairs. "Brie, what happened?"

I bit my lip, my whole body trembling with rage as Brie lay on the floor, smiling at me.