6: STRIPPED AND LOCKED UP

PATRICIA

I'd been waiting for this moment for months.

The pure devastation on Vivian's face when she realized I'd betrayed her. It was almost worth the years of pretending to care about this spoiled princess.

Derek and Claire arrived within minutes.

"She's been faking the amnesia," I announced. "She remembers everything. And she's been recording us."

Derek's face darkened. "Where?"

Vivian clutched her belly protectively, backing away. "Don't touch me."

"The recorder, Vivian," I said calmly. "Hand it over."

"No."

Claire moved fast. She grabbed Vivian's dress pocket, yanking hard enough to tear the fabric, but it was empty. Then Derek, panicked, pushed Claire aside and ripped off Vivian’s dress from the middle. She screamed, left in just her bra and pantie, and still no recorder.

Then he dragged her bra off, and a small recorder fell onto the grass.

"No!" Vivian lunged for it.

Derek stepped on it first, grinding it under his heel until it cracked open. He pulled out the memory card and pocketed it. Then he pulled out Vivian's phone from his jacket. "This too."

He dropped it on the stones of the garden path and smashed it with a rock. Vivian sobbed as her phone shattered.

"Any other copies?" I asked pleasantly.

"Go to hell."

Derek grabbed her wrist hard enough to leave marks. "Any. Other. Copies."

"No," she whimpered.

He released her, and she stumbled back, crying while cradling her pregnant belly and covering her bare breasts.

"Look how ugly her body is. Thank goodness I saved my real daughter-in-law from this ugliness and preserved her beauty. Lock her in the nursery," I ordered. "We'll deal with her after the babies are born."

"You can't keep me prisoner," Vivian said, but her voice shook.

"Can't we?" Derek smiled. "You're mentally unstable. You attacked Claire, remember? You're a danger to yourself and the babies. We're keeping you safe."

"I'll tell my grandfather-"

"Your grandfather doesn't want you anymore," Derek interrupted. "No one does."

I watched Vivian's face crumble and felt satisfaction warm my chest. She'd spent three years making me feel inferior with her perfect manners and her perfect life. Making Derek feel like he wasn't good enough. Making us all feel like charity cases she'd graciously accepted into her world.

Now she knew how it felt to be nothing.

"Take her upstairs. Make sure the windows are locked."

Derek and Claire each took one of Vivian's arms. She fought with tears, but it was useless against their strong grips.

I followed, making sure the locks were secure. The nursery was on the second floor, with only one door, which I watched Derek lock from the outside.

"You can't do this," Vivian screamed and pounded against the door. "I'll stop you. My grandfather will kill you."

The three of us exchanged looks.

"Good luck," Claire laughed. "No one will believe you. You're the woman who cheated on her husband with her stepbrother. You're the disgraced CEO who lost everything. You're nothing, Vivian."

I heard her sink to the floor, sobbing.

"What do we do now?" Claire asked as we headed downstairs.

"We wait," I said calmly. "A few more weeks until the babies come. Then we take them, divorce her, and destroy her completely. She signed enough documents in that prenuptial agreement to owe us millions if she tries to fight the adoption."

"What if she hurts herself?" Derek asked. "Or the babies?"

"She won't. She's too soft for that." I poured myself a glass of wine. "She'll accept her role eventually. She always does what she's told."

That evening, I brought dinner to the nursery. Vivian sat in the corner, arms wrapped around her belly, eyes red from crying.

"Eat," I said, setting the tray down. "My babies need nutrition."

"They're not your babies." She said coldly, looking straight ahead.

"They're Claire and Derek's babies. You're just the oven." I smiled. "A very expensive oven, admittedly. The IVF alone cost a hundred thousand. But worth it, since Claire gets to maintain her perfect body."

"When did you become so cruel?"

"I was always cruel, dear. You just mistook my poverty for kindness." I headed for the door. "Eat your dinner. Doctor's orders."

I locked her in and went back downstairs, where Derek and Claire were celebrating with champagne.

"To phase two," Derek toasted.

"To taking everything," Claire added.

I raised my glass. "To destroying Vivian Lancaster Morrison. Permanently."

We drank.