Chapter 4

In a daze, I followed the doctor into the ICU.

My mother-in-law could barely open her eyes, but she was still searching for me.

“My sweet girl, this family has wronged you. Divorce Ryan and make sure he walks away with nothing.”

She had clearly noticed that I was the only one who had come.

“Mom, you’re going to be okay. Please don’t scare me.”

She gave me a weak smile.

“I used up all my luck the day you came into my life. Go see Sophie.”

Sophie couldn’t speak, but her eyes remained fixed on me.

I couldn’t even hold her hand.

It was gone.

I dropped to my knees beside her bed, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.

Sophie glanced toward something beside her pillow.

I opened the box and collapsed onto the floor.

Inside was the delicate star bracelet.

If her brother wouldn’t give it to me, she would.

She couldn’t make a sound, but I still understood what she was trying to say.

“Lily, I love you.”

I had no idea how long I remained kneeling beside her bed.

When I finally tried to stand, the room tilted.

A second later, I collapsed.

By the time I woke up, it was the next morning.

Derek handed me a medical report.

“Lily, you were pregnant. But after everything you went through last night, you miscarried.”

I didn’t even look at the report.

“What about Ryan’s parents and Sophie?”

“They’re still in the morgue.”

It was as though I’d lost the ability to feel anger.

Completely numb, I arranged their funerals and contacted the officers who had investigated the crash.

They accompanied me to the police station to file a formal report.

The pileup had killed twenty people.

More than thirty had been critically injured, and over forty had suffered minor injuries.

It was one of the worst highway disasters in a decade.

And because the crash appeared to have been deliberately caused, the police immediately formed a special task force.

They took my statement and collected security footage from around my home.

After leaving the station, I contacted a funeral home.

Then I posted an obituary on social media.

Aunt Helen called almost immediately and began screaming at me.

“Have you lost your mind, Lily Lewis?

“No matter how much you hate Ryan, you can’t joke about something like this! How could you curse people with such a horrible lie? Do you have any humanity at all? No wonder Ryan doesn’t love you!”

I waited until she’d finished before speaking.

“I’m at the funeral home. You can come say goodbye to them.”

By the time Aunt Helen arrived, I’d already hired the best mortuary cosmetologist available to prepare them for viewing.

My mother-in-law and Sophie had always cared about their appearance.

I wanted them to leave this world with dignity.

The moment Aunt Helen saw them lying in their caskets, she lost control.

She lunged at me, trying to hit me.

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve saved them! How could you be so heartless?”

I was still weak from the miscarriage, so Derek stepped in front of me.

“You know perfectly well that I told you.

“Don’t try to dump your guilt on me. I did everything I could.”

Aunt Helen slapped herself repeatedly, as though she wished she could’ve died in her sister’s place.

She and my mother-in-law had always been close.

If Ryan hadn’t misled her, she never would’ve refused to help.

But none of that had anything to do with me anymore.

I took the divorce papers my lawyer had delivered that morning, along with my mother-in-law’s will, and returned home.

My daughter was curled up on the couch waiting for me.

She didn’t even have a blanket.

I hurried over, picked her up, and carried her toward the bedroom.

As I passed the master bedroom, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

Serena walked out with her clothes rumpled and a bandage wrapped around her arm.

Ryan followed close behind.

He was shirtless, with fresh scratch marks covering his shoulders and back.

The moment he saw me, guilt flashed across his face, and he took half a step back.

“Why are you home?”

Serena looked me up and down.

“You were out all night, Miss Lewis. Did you have fun?”

I ignored her and looked directly at Ryan.

“Ryan, are you coming to your parents’ and sister’s funeral?”