Chapter 3

Memories cut like knives, slicing my heart until it bleeds. Staring at Diane’s face, I clenched my fists so tight my nails dug into my palms. My jaw ached from how hard I bit down. The anger that I’d tried to bury for years broke free. I stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face. “That’s what you owe me from when I was twenty!” Diane’s face twisted in anger. She glared at me, eyes full of venom. Eric’s eyes went wide with shock—he hadn’t expected me to fight back. He stepped forward from behind and wrapped his arms around me, trying to calm my raging emotions. “Vivian Reed, it’s over now. None of that will ever happen again, I swear.” But being in his arms only made my hatred burn hotter. I spun around and slapped him too, hard across the face. “That’s for what you owe me!” “If I’d known saving you would doom my whole family to a half-life—if I’d known it would leave us in ruins—I never would’ve saved you.” Five bright red fingerprints bloomed on his pale cheek. That slap made him smile. “It’s good. I’m glad you can finally get mad at me.” He took two steps closer, caught both my hands, and pulled them toward his face. “Go ahead, hit me. Hit me as much as you want. Even if you beat me to death, it’s fine as long as it makes you feel better.” I stood there, stunned. He didn’t care about the pain. If anything, I was the one whose hand ached from hitting him. “Enough! Maybe I should just die—would that finally satisfy you?!” The sharp smack of slaps rang out until Diane’s furious yell stopped everything. She glared at me, looking at me with the same disdain as back then, but this time there was helpless compromise in her eyes. “I won’t stand in your way anymore. If you want to be together, then go ahead and be together.” She forced out the words, each syllable bitten off, bitter and unwilling. I couldn’t help but laugh—bitter and cold. “Your son is trash to me now. Even if you handed him over, I wouldn’t want him.” That stung both Diane Carter and Eric Carter to the core. Eric stared at me, pain and accusation filling his eyes—begging me to stop hurting him with my words. Diane gave a cold snort and snapped at Eric, “See? Even if I approve, she’ll never take you back!” Her frustration spilled over, her words edged with heartbreak. “You’re willing to live a life of misery for a woman like her! Is it worth it?!” “It is!” he answered firmly. I turned away, not wanting to be dragged back into their toxic world. Eric grabbed my hand again, his words tumbling out quickly, “I only married Angela Foster because my mom was sick—only Angela could be her match for the surgery. If I didn’t marry Angela, she wouldn’t agree to the operation. Back then, I truly had no choice—it wasn’t that I didn’t want to take responsibility for you!” “Vivian, every word is true. Please, believe me—just this once.” I yanked my hand free, keeping my resolve hard as steel. “None of it matters anymore. I just want my peace.” “If you don’t let me go right now, I’ll call the police.” He stood there, frozen, forcing a bitter smile. His smile trembled and, before I knew it, tears spilled down his face. But as I walked away, I heard his voice—steadfast and certain—call out behind me: “I know you still love me, Vivian Reed! I’ll make sure we end up together again! No one can stop us!”