Chapter 2

Right after Victoria walked out on the Marino family, Alex nearly died.

That was six years ago. A shootout broke out on the docks. A rival gang burned down most of the Marino warehouses, the family's cargo ships were impounded, and the banks came knocking to collect. Don Marino led his men to hold the last section of the docks, and the gunfight went on all night. Alex was shot in the chest, and I was the one who took the bullet out on a makeshift operating table.

But the night before, Victoria's family had run off with the last of the cash in the accounts and left town by ship without even saying goodbye. At the time, she and Alex were planning their wedding. Her dress had already been delivered to the house.

Alex lay in his hospital bed, staring at the door every day, waiting for her to come back. His wound kept reopening, and he refused to take his medicine or listen to anyone.

The Marino family owed an underground lender five hundred thousand pounds, and once the deadline passed, the docks would be taken over. I sold a property I'd just bought and took the rest out of my clinic's operating funds to pay off their debt. Alex and I weren't even married yet back then.

Later, he married me.

Some people in the family mocked us behind our backs, saying the head of enforcement had married a doctor who could pay off his debts. Alex would get angry when he heard it, but he never once said in front of anyone that he married me because he loved me. At first, he was polite to me, and he'd kiss my forehead before going out on a job. I took that little bit of tenderness as a sign that he was starting to love me.

That was how we lived for almost six years.

At ten, Emma still couldn't brush her own hair. I'd tie her hair ribbons while getting ready for surgery. When she wanted to learn to ride, I hired her an instructor. When she complained that the girls at the regular training ground looked down on her, I paid for expensive private lessons, another 5,000 pounds a month. Only now that she'd grown into a girl who sneered at me did I realize none of it had earned me any respect.

It was the same with James and Sarah.

I gave them 8,000 pounds a month to live on, paid for Sarah's joint treatments, arranged James's heart checkups, and bought them a car to get around in. The villa's 12,000-pound monthly mortgage, the fuel bills, and the wages for the cook and the servants all came out of my clinic's account.

I expanded my surgical wing to two floors and rented my spare treatment rooms at a discount to the Marino family's legitimate freight company and its aid station for the wounded. To keep the whole family living well, I often worked 60 hours a week. I'd get called to the docks in the middle of the night to take in the wounded and then rush back to the clinic at dawn.

I thought I was taking care of a family shaken by years of fighting.

Now it was clear I was just a cash cow who doubled as their doctor and never asked for anything in return.

"Scarlett." Victoria had already walked up to me. She tilted her head slightly, her smile innocent. "I'm so sorry. I was ready to stay behind, but Alex insisted it was fine and even got you papers for another route. I told him I'd be willing to go through Blackmoor instead, and he got so angry. He said there was no way he'd let me take that risk alone."

She smoothed her cuff with her fingers, her voice growing even softer. "I never meant to cost you your place in the convoy. Please don't hold it against him."

Emma pressed her face against Victoria's shoulder. "She's just being petty. You don't know how bad the Blackmoor gang is. Two drivers went missing just last month. If something happened to Victoria there, it would break my brother's heart. Scarlett's different. She's so scary with a scalpel in her hand that even men with guns are afraid of her."

The two of them dissolved into giggles.

I looked at Emma and remembered how, when she was 12 and running a fever, she'd clung to my sleeve and cried, begging me not to leave. I'd turned down two very well-paid surgeries and stayed by her bed all night. Now this child who once needed my protection thought sending me into danger was funny.

"Are you done laughing?" I asked.

Emma pouted. "See? She's mad again."

When Alex saw the look on my face, he finally softened his voice. "Scarlett, I know you're upset. Didn't you have your eye on that bigger clinic in the shopping district? Rent it when we get back from the trip. Spend a little more. I won't stop you."

I held out my hand. "Then give me 50,000 pounds first."

He froze. "What?"

"Fifty thousand pounds. Didn't you say I could spend a little more? If you want to make this up to me, use your own money."

Alex slammed down his glass. "Don't push your luck. I already agreed to let you use the family's money. What more do you want?"

"The family's money?" I couldn't help laughing. "You make 3,000 pounds a month, and I make 50,000. I bought this house before we got married, and I'm the one who built up the emergency savings in the bank. Whose money exactly are you letting me use?"

His face went red. "You're talking about money in front of a guest? Do you have to humiliate me like this?"

"When you gave her my seat and sent me through Blackmoor, did you ever stop to think how humiliating that was for me? Or that I might die?"

"You always make things sound so ugly."

I looked at Victoria. "Since she means so much to you, maybe she should cover this family's living expenses from now on. I hear she studied medicine too. She must make good money, right?"

The smile froze on Victoria's face for a second.

Sarah jumped in right away. "That's enough. Our guest just got here. Why do you have to ruin the mood with all this? Scarlett, go get dinner ready. Everyone's hungry."

Normally at this point, I'd go into the kitchen to check the ingredients, tell the servants to heat the soup, and make sure James went easy on the salt and Sarah took her medicine on time. Today, I didn't lift a finger. I sat down on the couch, slipped off my shoes, and slowly leafed through a medical journal I hadn't finished.

"Victoria, didn't you love Sarah's roast when you were little?" I asked, looking up.

Victoria lit up. "Of course! Every time Alex and I came back from the training ground, we'd fight over it."

"Perfect." I looked at Sarah. "Then let her have some of your homemade roast tonight. I've never had the privilege."

Sarah's smile vanished.

Alex walked over to the couch. "You know Mom's joints have been bad lately. Why would you make her go into the kitchen? Is it that hard for you to get up and help?"

I put on a look of surprise. "Her joints are acting up again? That's strange. Last week I set up her follow-up, and the doctor said she was healing well. If it's that serious, tomorrow I'll take her off the trip so she can rest at home."

"Who says I can't cook!" Sarah drew herself up. "Stop bringing up my health every chance you get. Fine, I'll do it."

She stormed into the kitchen.

Two hours later, dinner was finally on the table. Alex and Victoria reminisced about riding horses together as kids and sneaking drinks behind the grown-ups' backs, trading smiles every so often. James put the best piece of meat on Victoria's plate, and Sarah kept asking whether she liked it.

Emma suddenly pulled out the chair I always sat in. "Victoria, sit here. It's closer to the fireplace. It's warmer."

She laid out Victoria's napkin for her before she looked back at me. "Scarlett, you don't mind, do you? She's a guest."

Sarah didn't even look up. "There's still a seat at the corner of the table. If you think it's too crowded, you can take your plate into the kitchen, and wash the dishes while you're at it."

I looked at that dining table. I'd bought the chairs, I'd paid to fix the roof, and I'd paid for the food. In the end, they wouldn't even save me a seat.

"No need to save one." I picked up my handbag. "I'm meeting a patient. I'll eat out tonight."

Alex stood up. "We leave tomorrow morning, and you're running out now? Have you packed the luggage?"

"Your luggage?" I stopped at the door and looked at him. "You're the Marino family's head of enforcement, and you can't even pack your own clothes?"

He opened his mouth, but before he could figure out how to yell at me, I was already out the door.

The cold wind hit me in the face, but I could breathe a little easier.

That night, I ordered a steak at the priciest restaurant in the dock district and paired it with a glass of aged red wine I'd never let myself have before. The meal cost almost 1,000 pounds, but I didn't have to put food on anyone's plate, keep track of when anyone's medicine was due, or listen to them reminisce about how another woman should have become the lady of the house.

It was the most relaxed dinner I'd had in six years.