Chapter 6

The bold heading at the top, "Skin Graft Consent Form", yanked Rita out of her haze. Her hand, covered in cuts and bruises, clenched around the paper until it suddenly felt way heavier than it should.

She looked up at the doctor and rasped, "I don't get it. Where's Seth?"

The doctor gave her a practiced little smile. "Mrs. Jones, you nearly left Ms. Anderson with permanent scarring. And per Mr. Jones's orders, you're signing this whether you want to or not."

Tears sprang to her eyes. She shook her head, her voice shaking. "I didn't push Winnie."

The doctor was already impatient. "I'm just doing my job. Save the explanations for Mr. Jones."

Rita lowered her head, her loose hair falling forward to hide the tears welling in her eyes, even though it couldn't hide how red they were.

"Fine. Where's Seth?"

Her voice barely made it past a whisper, like she didn't even believe Seth would hear her out.

Still, she held on to that tiny bit of hope. Even one chance felt like enough if she could finally tell him how wronged she felt.

The doctor didn't answer. A quick flash of sympathy crossed his eyes.

Rita knew that look too well.

"He's with Winnie, isn't he?"

It sounded like a question, but she already knew the answer.

The doctor's eyes darted away.

Rita pushed herself upright, but the movement pulled at her wounds, and she slipped off the bed. The needle in the back of her hand ripped free, and blood streamed out.

But she didn't seem to feel it.

She bolted down the hallway barefoot.

…

"Seth, my face is ruined. I don't even want to live anymore..."

Rita stopped cold in the doorway, staring at Winnie crying against Seth's shoulder. He held her close, wiping her tears, his face soft with a kind of hurting tenderness.

"Don't cry. I'll make Rita pay for this."

The words hit Rita hard. The color drained from her face, and she wobbled where she stood. She didn't know when Seth had started hating her this much.

He'd already shattered her heart. Was he really trying to finish her off?

As if her stare burned through him, Seth's head jerked around. The moment he saw her, his expression hardened. "You've got some nerve showing up here. Did you sign the consent form?"

His anger made Rita bite her lip. She swallowed back her tears and managed, "It wasn't me. I didn't push her."

A hard look snapped across Seth's face. He threw the words at her, cold and sharp. "You do nothing but lie. You Searles are all the same, rotten from birth."

Rita's eyes burned, tears welling up fast. She rushed at Winnie, her voice breaking. "Say something! You threw yourself down on purpose!"

Winnie jumped like Rita had startled her, then curled tighter into Seth, sobbing. "Yeah, I did it on purpose. It's all my fault."

Rita was shaking so hard she couldn't say anything. She just stood there, feeling totally helpless.

Winnie had put on a pathetic little act that anyone could see through, but she still ended up with all of Seth's sympathy. With how blindly he backed her, Rita never really had a chance.

A dry laugh slipped out of her. She looked at Seth. "Are you going to hate me for the rest of your life?"

Maybe it was the hurt in her eyes, but Seth actually froze for a second. Then Winnie whimpered, and whatever hesitation he had disappeared.

He pressed a soft kiss to Winnie's forehead, calming her until she fell asleep. As soon as she did, he yanked Rita out of the room.

His voice was nothing but disgust. "I don't have time for your act. Don't push me into wiping out the rest of the Searles."

The words were so harsh that they made Rita's chest sting.

They'd been married all this time, and only now did she see how much of a stranger he'd turned into. He couldn't even show her the slightest respect.

Rita didn't argue. She just signed the consent form. The way she gave in so completely was almost eerie, and it threw Seth for a moment.

As he turned to go, his hand tightened on the door handle. His voice dropped low. "No one's taking your place as Mrs. Jones. Even if she's here, I can afford to keep you both."

Rita said nothing.

Seth's eyes went cold, and he snorted. "Ungrateful."

He didn't look back, so he never saw Rita standing in the corner, crying quietly.

There were only two days to go in the three years she was supposed to spend with Seth, but she no longer had the courage to stay.