Chapter 6: Framed

Nora's face went bloodless, shock flickering behind her eyes.

She wanted me to hear that. All of it.

Of course she had. Why else leave the door cracked open, why else let the sound carry that far, that shamelessly?

Nora let the recording keep running.

Vivian laughed softly, leaning in close to her ear, voice dripping with mockery. "Nora. I'm going to take everything that's yours, your father, your mother, your brother, your fiancé, and now your precious husband too."

Her smile widened, radiant and cruel all at once. "I want you to understand something. Anything you worked hard for, I can take without even trying. You will always be something I scrape off the bottom of my shoe."

The soft moans from moments ago echoed in Nora's mind, refusing to fade.

She thought of what Grant had said outside that hospital room how far he'd gone for this woman. Three years of marriage, and what had Nora ever actually been to him?

Grief curdled into something sharper, hotter. Before she could stop herself, her hand shot out toward Vivian's face.

But the instant her fingers grazed skin, there was a gasp and then a series of sickening thuds.

Nora stood frozen, uncertain what had just happened.

Footsteps pounded up behind her. A hand cracked across her face hard enough to send her to the floor.

Grant's eyes were bloodshot, blazing with fury.

"Nora. Have you completely lost your mind?"

"I always knew you resented her. I never thought you'd actually shove her down a flight of stairs. You disgust me."

His voice tore through the hallway, veins standing out at his temples, not a shred of warmth left anywhere in his expression.

Nora forced her mouth into something like a smile, cold spreading through her whole body until she was shaking.

This is the man I married. The one who just condemned me without asking a single question. He could have held it together a little longer but the moment her name came up, the mask came off completely.

The absurdity of it hollowed her out. "Grant. If I told you I never touched her would you even believe me?"

His expression didn't shift, dark and merciless, like she was something irredeemable.

How could I possibly believe you?

He didn't say it out loud. He didn't need to. He was already moving past her, down the stairs, gathering Vivian up off the floor where she lay, her face twisted in pain.

The commotion brought Mrs. Ashford and Elliot running.

Mrs. Ashford's voice cracked with panic. "What happened? What's wrong with my daughter?"

Vivian, still conscious, still pale, reached for her mother's hand. "Mom, I'm fine. Don't blame Nora. She didn't mean it, I know she didn't."

Mrs. Ashford's gaze snapped up toward Nora anyway, ice-cold.

Before she could speak, Elliot closed the distance in seconds and drove his foot into Nora's side.

His temper had always run hot, and right now his face was pure disgust. "Nora Ashford, Mom's right you're ungrateful straight through. Ever since Vivian came into this family, you've had it out for her. Why are you like this? Makes me wonder if this family made a mistake keeping you around at all. Shame that accident three years ago only took your eyes and not the rest of you."

Why didn't they just finish the job?

Vivian sat on the floor, one hand braced against the tile, the other pressed to her stomach.

Pain lanced through her, sharp and real though nothing compared to the satisfaction humming underneath it, cold and quiet.

She stayed silent, letting the pain speak for her. Even if she'd wanted to explain herself, none of them would have listened anyway.

The footsteps faded as everyone rushed Vivian toward the car, off to the hospital.

Nora stood alone on the landing, lips white, utterly invisible to every person who'd just walked past her.

After a long moment, she gripped the railing and made her way down the stairs one at a time, her frame so slight it looked like a strong wind could carry her off.

One of the household staff watched from a distance, saying nothing but even they couldn't quite look away without something twisting in their chest.

---

At the hospital, Vivian's scans came back clean. Just a few soft-tissue bruises, nothing serious.

Still, the family insisted she stay overnight for observation, just in case something worse surfaced later.

Mrs. Ashford fussed over every detail. Elliot peeled fruit for her by hand. Grant worked the phones, tracking down specialists for a second opinion.

Elliot passed her a plate of sliced mango, his eyes dark with fury. "This is that ungrateful witch's fault. How could she try something like this? She was trying to kill you. I'm calling the police right now."

Vivian caught his wrist before he could dial. "Don't, Elliot. Please. We're still family, it doesn't have to go that far. I'm barely hurt. Let's just forgive her."

Mrs. Ashford wasn't nearly as forgiving. Her voice turned venomous. "That girl carries our name, but she's never really been ours. If word of this gets out, it'll be a stain on this family's reputation. But she laid hands on my daughter, and she is going to learn exactly what that costs her."

Elliot nodded fiercely. "Mom's right."

Vivian pressed on, all soft reluctance. "Mom, Elliot, please can we just let this go? I don't hold it against Nora anymore. I understand why she feels threatened by me. I know she thinks I'm here to take her place, to steal everyone's love. But I only ever wanted to be part of this family, not to compete with her for anything. I have to believe she'll see that eventually."

Elliot's lip curled in contempt. "Her? She's rotten to the core, Vivian. Beyond saving. You're just too good-hearted, that's exactly why she keeps walking all over you."

Just then, Grant walked back in, and Vivian's whole face lit up. "Grant."

He set down the test results, worry etched across his face. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not anymore." She smiled softly. "Grant when we're home, please don't be too hard on Nora. I really don't think she meant to push me."

Grant said nothing.

Doesn't he already know whether it was intentional?

Ever since Vivian had joined the family, Nora had made a habit of targeting her or so the story went. Before the wedding, Grant had barely been able to stand being in the same room as Nora.

After the marriage, once she'd moved out of the Ashford estate and into his life full-time, he'd played the devoted husband so convincingly for three years that he'd nearly managed to forget who she really was underneath it.

Some things really don't change.

His jaw tightened, voice low. "Vivian. I'll get you an answer for this. I promise you that."

---

The night had turned cold, a biting wind picking up well past midnight.

Nora lay on the operating table, the metal cold enough to burn through the thin gown.

The surgeon pulled on a fresh pair of gloves, pausing before the anesthesia. "Ms. Ashford, this is your last chance to change your mind. Are you certain about this?"

Nora rested a hand against her stomach, felt the faint flutter of a pulse that wasn't quite hers and wasn't quite separate from her either one last time. A single tear slid down into her hair.

She managed a small, broken sound of assent and shut her eyes.

---

Afterward, cold settled into her bones in a way no blanket seemed to touch.

She lay curled tight beneath the thin hospital sheet, alone in a ward with no other warmth in it, human or otherwise.

Thirsty, she reached for the cup on the nightstand, her arm barely obeying her. The cup tipped before her fingers ever closed around it.

The last of the water traced a thin line down the edge of the table and dripped onto the floor.

Something helpless and hollow rose up in her chest, tightening her throat, stinging behind her nose.

That's when she heard two nurses talking just outside her door and what they were saying made her stomach drop even further.