Part 2He Rotted Waiting For You

"Oh god—Xavier! Gag—"

I was laughing so hard in Italy that tears were streaming down my face.

On the screen, Hailey’s legs looked like overcooked noodles. She collapsed onto the porch, her face twisted in a mask of pure agony. She was clutching her belly, terrified for the baby, but she couldn't stay away. She crawled back a few feet, staring at the dark hallway of the house with a mix of longing and horror.

She scrambled for her phone and called me back, her voice a screeching wreck.

"You old hag! Where did you hide him? Where is Xavier?"

"I’m carrying his child! You can’t keep us apart anymore! Half of everything he owns belongs to my son!"

My fingers traced the lines of Luca’s tattoos as I leaned back. "Hailey, honey, he’s right there in the house. Didn't you see him?"

I couldn't help it. I let out a sharp, melodic laugh.

That sound was the breaking point for her. She started screaming into the receiver. "What are you laughing at? You’re a pathetic, discarded housewife! Just wait until I tell Xavier how you’ve treated me! He’s going to divorce you and leave you with nothing!"

"Go ahead," I said, my voice dripping with mock-sincerity. "Go tell him everything. Ask his family if you don't believe me—he’s been waiting in that house for you for a long, long time."

I hung up.

My daughter, Jade, walked into the room, adjusting her designer sunglasses. She looked at me with that sharp, teenage cynicism she’d inherited from me. "When are we going back to deal with that bitch?"

"Language, Jade," I corrected her, though I wasn't really annoyed.

It was time to go home. I couldn't let the "true love" reunion happen without being there to witness the fallout. Xavier wanted me to "set them free."

Hailey could have her inheritance. She could have exactly what was left of him—a three-year-old biological weapon.