Part 3Twenty Six Calls He Never Answered

The coppery taste of blood instantly flooded my mouth.

Corey stood over me, his hand still raised, trembling slightly. A flash of regret vanished from his eyes as quickly as it appeared.

"What gives you the right to hit her?" he roared. "Your so-called 'mother' verbally assaulted her first! Is this the kind of trashy behavior you learned in that orphanage?"

I blinked away the tears, staring up at the man I had married. I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Society had always judged me. They looked at foster kids as feral, uneducated strays.

But Corey used to be the man who would smash a scotch glass against a wall to shut up anyone who dared to mock my upbringing. Now, he was the one wielding the knife.

Seeing my shattered expression, a muscle feathered in Corey's jaw. But Brielle whined, sinking deeper into his arms, shivering like a wet stray.

"Corey... if you hadn't come, they would have ganged up and killed me..."

Corey’s eyes hardened, picturing her imaginary suffering, and he looked down at me with pure disgust.

"Tomorrow night is the foundation gala. You will publicly apologize to Brielle. Don't think I don't know how this works—if you don't clear her name, that old woman will run to the press and ruin Brielle’s reputation."

I shook my head, my hands gripping the cold tile. "I won't—"

"If you don't apologize," Corey interrupted, his voice dropping to a terrifying, deadly calm, "I will pull all my funding from St. Jude’s. And the black card you use to pay for Mrs. Gable’s private medical care? Consider it frozen."

He crouched down, forcing me to meet his cold gaze. "Think about it, Caroline. On a waitress's salary, how long do you think it’ll take you to buy her a matching heart on the transplant list? Hmm?"

I thought of Mrs. Gable, hooked up to the machines, her body frail and failing.

I closed my eyes. And I surrendered.

The next evening, beneath the glittering chandeliers of the charity gala, Corey shoved a piece of paper into my hands. An apology script.

Brielle drifted over, looking angelic in a white silk gown. As she passed me, she dug her manicured nails viciously into my bruised arm.

Her smile was flawless. "Mrs. Pierce. An apology doesn't mean anything without a little sincerity, does it?"

Before I could react, the pointed toe of her stiletto slammed into the back of my knee. My leg buckled, and I crashed to the marble floor in a humiliating heap.

Kneeling there like a puppet with its strings cut, I read the words Corey had written for me into the microphone.

"It was Mrs. Gable who initiated the conflict. I apologize on her behalf to Miss Brielle, and I will be compensating her for her distress..."

The murmurs from the elite crowd rippled through the ballroom like poison.

Takes the trash out of the system, but can't take the system out of the trash.

Did you see her just hit the floor? No dignity. God knows why Corey keeps her around.

That Brielle girl comes from a much better pedigree. Give it a month, there will be a new Mrs. Pierce.

The contempt in their eyes burned like hot coals on my skin.

Brielle looked down at me from her pedestal, drinking in her victory.

I forced myself up, my fever still raging. I stumbled, the room spinning. Corey instinctively took a half-step forward, his hand twitching.

"Are you sick? You look terrible."

I slapped his hand away. He stiffened, immediately clearing his throat and straightening his cuffs. "Don't misunderstand. I just don't want you throwing up and ruining the event."

Brielle stepped in, pretending to help steady me. She leaned close, the scent of her cloying perfume invading my space.

"Take care of yourself, Mrs. Pierce," she whispered, her breath hot against my ear. "Oh, by the way... I heard the hospital’s heart donor suddenly backed out today. Decided they didn't want to give their organs to your precious director after all. Looks like she'll be waiting another ten years."

She paused, feigning a pout. "Oh, wait. She probably doesn't have ten years left, does she?"

The vicious, mocking gleam in her eyes pushed me over the edge of sanity. I lunged forward, my hands locking around her throat.

"You don't get to play god with her life!" I screamed, the sound tearing my vocal cords.

A second later, Corey ripped me off her, using so much force I went flying backward.

"Are you out of your mind, Caroline?!" he bellowed. "I made you apologize to teach you a lesson, not so you could attack her again!"

I tumbled down the three carpeted steps of the stage, every bone in my body screaming in agony as I hit the floor.

Hidden behind Corey’s broad shoulders, Brielle’s lips curled into a wicked, gleeful smile.

I was scrambling to my feet, ready to charge at her like a feral animal, when my phone vibrated violently against my ribs.

It was the hospital.

"Mrs. Pierce?" the nurse's voice was frantic. "It’s Mrs. Gable. She's... she's gone. Someone took her from her room!"