Label her crazy

AVERY POV

“Are you out of your mind?!"

Jaden’s voice thundered against the glass walls of the greenhouse, vibrating with a raw, terrifying fury I had never heard from him before.

From my place on the cold stone floor, cradled against his broad chest, a slow, sly smirk stretched across my face where Serena couldn’t see it. I pressed my cheek into the soft fabric of his suit jacket, letting out a pitiful, trembling sob for effect, but behind my squeezed-shut eyelids, I was practically bursting with triumph.

"Jackson, please..." Serena stammered, her face ghostly pale, her hands shaking as she gestured wildly between us. "She's lying! She threw herself down! I didn't push her, I swear to God I didn't touch her!"

"Shut up, Serena! Just shut your mouth!" Jaden snarled, his eyes dark with absolute disgust as he glared at the trembling widow. "How far are you going to pull through with this nonsense? You're sick at this point! Pushing an innocent woman because you can't accept reality? You need to see a therapist! You need serious help!"

"Listen to me!" Serena begged, taking a step forward, her eyes bloodshot and brimming with helpless tears. "Jackson—Jaden—you have to listen to me! She staged this whole thing! I don't know what's she's up to but–"

"I don't want to hear another insane word out of your mouth!" Jaden cut her off, his voice flat and merciless.

He didn't give her another second to explain. Carefully, yet with effortless strength, Jaden scooped me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his collarbone to hide the cruel, satisfying smile I couldn't wipe off my face.

Serena tried to chase after us, her voice breaking as she cried out into the afternoon air, but her words fell on deaf ears. No one was going to believe a word she said. Not after today. I was going to label her as a unhinged, dangerous lunatic, and every single person in this household was going to help me put her in her place.

The bedroom door clicked shut behind us.

Jaden carried me over to the plush velvet settee near the balcony and set me down with meticulous care, as if I were made of fragile glass. His hands were still trembling slightly, his chest heaving as he paced the length of the room, running a hand through his dark, thick hair.

He looked furious. His jaw was set so tight the muscle twitched continuously beneath his skin.

I smoothed down my blue cardigan, watching him intently from the couch. I stood up gracefully, stepping over to where he paced, and reached out to gently lay my palm against his broad chest.

"Babe, calm down," I murmured, my voice dripping with sweet, soothing warmth. "Please, try to take it easy on her. You know she's grieving right now... maybe this is just how she grieves."

Jaden stopped dead in his tracks, his dark eyes snapping to mine, burning with unyielding rage.

"And so?!" Jaden snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut glass. "I'm also grieving! I lost my twin brother, but you don't see me going around attacking people for no reason! What if she had hurt you? What if she had hurt the baby?! What then, Avery?!"

Seeing him lose his mind over my safety sent a thrill of pure pleasure straight to my heart. This was the exact reaction I had planned for. Every scream, every shattered clay pot in the greenhouse, it had all played out precisely as I engineered it.

Because beneath his furious ranting, beneath his protective stance, I knew a secret that Serena was still desperately trying to prove.

The man standing in front of me, breathing heavily and wearing a tailored suit, wasn't my husband Jaden at all.

It was Jackson.

I had known from the very first day he walked back through the front doors after the crash. Serena had been sobbing, screaming, and pointing out scars like an erratic child, but I didn't need a scar on a wrist to know the truth.

The moment he had stepped into my room that night, looked at me, and murmured, "Honey, are you alright?"—I instantly knew.

Jaden and I had been married for five years, and in all those long, hollow years, we had never used a single pet name. Not once. We didn't call each other honey, sweetheart, or babe. Our marriage was nothing more than a cold, transactional business arrangement.

I had married Jaden for his vast fortune, his high-society title, and the unlimited access to a glamorous lifestyle that his family name guaranteed. Jaden had married me to satisfy his father's public image standards for the company hierarchy. We rarely talked unless it was necessary for a public appearance, we slept in separate bedrooms, and our rare physical encounters were dry, silent, and entirely devoid of affection.

Jaden was a cold, pragmatic businessman who looked at me like a decorative vase on his mantelpiece.

So when "Jaden" walked into my room with soft, affectionate eyes and called me honey, I almost laughed out loud. Jackson had tried so hard to copy his brother's stoic demeanor, but he couldn't hide the overwhelming guilt and intense, desperate desire burning in his eyes whenever he looked at me.

Jackson had always been obsessed with me. Even while he was married to that boring, pathetic Serena, but unfortunately we didn't end up together. 

When the car crashed and Jaden died, Jackson saw his chance to steal his brother's life, and more importantly, to steal me. He thought he was playing me. He thought he was pulling off the ultimate deception.

He had no idea that I was the one pulling his strings.

I didn't care that Jaden was dead. I didn't care that Jackson had stolen his identity. As long as I kept my status, my wealth, and a man who was willing to bow at my feet and give me everything I ever wanted, Jackson could pretend to be whoever he pleased. Serena was the only obstacle left in our way, and I was going to crush her until there was nothing left.

I stepped closer to Jackson, wrapping my arms gently around his waist and resting my head against his pounding heart.

"You protected us," I whispered softly, feeling his body gradually unclench under my touch. "You saved me and the baby, darling. That's all that matters."

Jackson let out a heavy, shaky breath, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight against his chest. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"I won't let anyone touch you," he promised, his voice rough and low. "Never."

I smiled silently against his chest, watching our reflection in the large vanity mirror across the room. Everything was falling into place. Serena was isolated, desperate, and looking more unstable by the minute. It was time to deliver the final blow.

I pulled back slightly, looking up into Jackson's dark, brooding eyes with an expression of deep, exaggerated concern.

"Baby..." I started, letting my voice quiver with delicate worry. "She's getting too dangerous. After what happened today, I'm genuinely terrified of what she might do next... don't you think it's best we take her to a psychiatric home?"