Chapter 3

SABRINA 

“It was a mistake, Mom!” Rory hissed, rubbing her cheek. “But he didn’t suspect anything—yet. I’ll force Sabrina to spill everything. Their childhood, where she saved him, what happened. I’ll memorize every detail before morning, in case he asks.”

Clarissa clenched her jaw, nodding slowly. “Good. That’s a better idea. But no more slip-ups. One wrong word and this entire plan falls apart.”

They moved toward the window again, peeking through the curtains.

“Why is that man still out there?” Clarissa asked, voice tight.

Rory squinted. The man in black—the guard who had arrived with Theo—was still by the SUV, arms folded, expression unreadable. He raised a hand in a slow wave.

“Maybe… maybe Theo asked him to wait?” Rory guessed.

Clarissa’s mouth curled with suspicion. “Or maybe he’s watching us. Listening. Theo doesn’t trust us—yet. I need to shut Sabrina up before she ruins everything.”

Without waiting for a response, Clarissa turned on her heel and stormed down the hallway.

Clarissa went back to the room. Her heels clicked against the wooden floor like gunshots. Her face was unreadable, cold and sharp as ice.

“You’re leaving tonight,” she said without even looking at me. “I’ll have someone fly you out of the country before morning. You’ll be gone for good.”

I stood up, the dizziness still clinging to the edges of my vision from earlier. “What do you mean I am leaving tonight? You want to make me leave? What about Dad’s inheritance? Even if you’ve stolen the company, what about the houses he built? The money he kept? I’m his first daughter. I should be entitled to these things, but you treat me like I’m nothing.”

Clarissa turned slowly. Her eyes narrowed.

And then she shoved me.

I wasn’t expecting it.

The back of my head slammed into the wall. My vision went black for a split second. Then red.

I dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks. The air left my lungs. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I tried to breathe, but my chest wouldn’t rise.

Gasping.

Blood poured from my nose and lips. I couldn’t stop it.

“Mom! What did you do to her?” Rory’s voice shrieked from the doorway. “There’s blood! Is she poisoned? Oh my God—is she—”

“I just pushed her! I didn’t mean to—” Clarissa’s voice cracked, for the first time. “It was just anger!”

“She’s not breathing!” Rory knelt beside me, her voice rising. “Oh my God, Mom! You’ve killed her! You’ve actually killed my stepsister!”

“Shut up!” Clarissa snapped, dragging Rory up by the arm. “Lower your damn voice!”

She stood still, panting.

Then she looked down at my lifeless body.

A long silence passed.

Clarissa’s voice dropped into something terrifyingly calm. “Maybe it’s better this way.”

Rory stared at her in disbelief.

“What…?”

“No one to ruin your wedding. No one to climb down the stairs screaming she’s the real daughter. No threat. No risk. She’s gone. It’s clean. It’s done.” Clarissa’s voice was firm now. Chilling. “You’re going to marry Theo George, and this little corpse won’t be able to say a word.”

“You’re insane,” Rory whispered. “You’re—”

“I raised you to be strong,” Clarissa barked. “To win. You think the rich play fair? You think anyone cares about a girl with a stupid birthmark and no friends? This is the world, Rory. And this is how we win in it.”

Rory stared down at me. Her mouth trembled.

“So… what do we do with her?”

Clarissa looked around, calculating. “There’s a blanket in the closet. Wrap her in it. We’ll get her in the car.”

“We can’t just throw her out like garbage,” Rory muttered.

Clarissa’s glare sliced through her. “We have to. Do you want to lose everything?”

“No… but—”

“No buts. No one’s going to look for her. She has no one. Not anymore. We’ll dump her somewhere no one goes. The sea. The cliffs. Something. You’ll be married tomorrow. This will be a memory you erase.”

Rory didn’t speak. Her silence was permission.

Clarissa moved quickly, pulling a thick blanket from the closet. She tossed it down and together they rolled me inside it like luggage. My blood stained the fabric deep maroon.

“Get the car keys.”

“We can’t drive, remember?” Rory whispered harshly, her voice shaking.

Clarissa paused. “Then we use the driver.”

“He’s off.”

“Then someone else.”

They dragged me down the hallway, my wrapped body thudding against the stairs as they struggled to stay quiet. Blood dripped with every step.

When they reached the front door, Rory ran ahead to the front gate and flagged down the security guard, nervously twirling a strand of hair.

“Hi, um… Mom needs to go somewhere quickly. Can you drive us?”

The guard peered suspiciously at the blanket bundle near the trunk. “Where are you going this late?”

“It’s… it’s a woman’s thing,” Clarissa said, flashing a tight smile. “Medical emergency. Just take us. Please.”

The guard hesitated. “I can drive. But who’ll watch the house?”

“You’ll be back in less than an hour,” Rory said quickly. “Just help us with this.”

He nodded reluctantly and walked around to the driver’s side. As he opened the back door to check space—

His eyes widened.

There. On the leather seat.

A streak of fresh blood.

He recoiled. “Is that… blood?”

Rory’s voice was too fast. “No! It’s—it’s paint! From the spa! One of those fake facials.”

The guard’s eyes narrowed. He stepped back, looking from the blanket to Clarissa.

Clarissa grabbed his arm.

“It’s none of your business. Just drive.”

The guard’s eyes darted to the wrapped figure. “Is someone in there?”

Rory panicked. “It’s—it’s a dead dog. This is our dog, she died this evening and it’s so sad. We’re burying her ourselves. We didn’t want to call anyone—”

A soft groan escaped from the blanket.

They all froze.

Clarissa’s face went white.

The guard took two steps back, now alarmed. “That’s not a dog.”

He moved toward the bundle—

And the blanket twitched.

Rory screamed.

Clarissa lunged forward. “Don’t touch it!”

But it was too late.