Chapter 3

They forced me out of the hospital, still stitched and bandaged, because Hudson had "arranged" for my discharge. He wanted me out of sight, out of mind.

His orders were absolute. My well-being was an afterthought.

I was to attend an engagement party. Bethany' s engagement party. A celebration of her future, built on the ruins of mine.

A gown, shimmering and elegant, was laid out for me. A necklace, delicate and sparkling, rested beside it. Gifts from Hudson, he said.

But I recognized them. They were Bethany' s. Her old clothes, her cast-offs. He was dressing me in her discards.

The nurse carefully removed the last IV line from my arm, her movements gentle, almost apologetic. My body felt like a fragile cage.

Hudson paced impatiently, checking his watch. "Are you ready, Emmy? We can't be late."

He barely glanced at me, his focus already on his new bride-to-be.

A guard roughly pushed my wheelchair towards the waiting car. A jolt of pain shot through me, but I bit back the cry.

The wound on my side tore open, a fresh bloom of crimson staining the white bandage beneath my gown. The agony was a familiar friend now.

I closed my eyes, a silent scream trapped within. My heart was a barren wasteland.

The car stopped. The entrance to their grand estate was a majestic sweep of marble stairs. My wheelchair couldn' t make it up.

Hudson moved to lift me, a fleeting flicker of concern in his eyes.

"No!" Bethany' s voice, sharp and triumphant, cut through the air. She stood at the top of the stairs, radiant in her own gown.

"Let her walk," she commanded, a venomous smile playing on her lips. "She needs to earn her place."

My breath hitched. Humiliation, hot and searing, flooded through me. Tears, unbidden, streamed down my face.

Hudson paused, glancing between us. Then, without a word, he turned, sweeping Bethany into his arms. He carried her up the stairs as if she were a precious bride.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. A sound devoid of joy, full of desolate mockery.

I remembered all the slights, all the subtle degradations. The way he' d dismissed my dreams, minimized my pain. It was all part of the plan.

Whispers from the guests, hushed and judgmental, reached my ears. "Poor thing," they murmured. "Look at her. So pathetic."

Their pity was a fresh dagger to my heart. My legs, still weak, still trembling, began to move. One painful step after another, I crawled up those stairs, a spectacle of shame.

I looked for Hudson. For a hint of compassion. But he was gone, swallowed by the glittering crowd.

My wheelchair lay abandoned at the bottom, a twisted wreck. Someone must have kicked it over.

I collapsed at the top, a broken heap, hot tears scalding my cheeks.

Rough hands pulled me up, dragging me to a secluded table. I was an unwanted guest at my own funeral.

The party was a blur of opulence. Sparkling chandeliers, expensive champagne, the laughter of a thousand strangers.

Hudson, radiating joy, presented Bethany with three gifts. Each one more extravagant than the last.

One of them was a delicate locket, a family heirloom. The one he had promised me, when I could prove myself worthy.

He had told me it was a symbol of true love, passed down only to the most cherished. A cruel joke, indeed.

I laughed again, a hollow, guttural sound that startled the few guests nearby. It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated despair.

Bethany glanced at me, a flicker of irritation in her eyes. She thought I was jealous. She had no idea.