Chapter 1 Truth

Three years of trying, of disappointments, of Reid saying maybe we should give up. But here I was, carrying his baby.

I couldn't stop smiling as I made my way through Marissa's building. The pregnancy test this morning had finally shown two pink lines – after all this time, all the heartache. Reid would be so happy. We'd finally have the family we'd dreamed of.

"Mrs. Flair," the doorman nodded as I passed. Even after all these years together, hearing Reid's last name still gave me butterflies.

The elevator ride to the penthouse felt endless. I kept touching my still-flat stomach, imagining how Reid would react when I told him at dinner tonight. And Marissa – God, she'd probably cry happy tears. She'd been rooting for us to have a baby almost as much as we were.

I practically bounced out of the elevator, clutching the bottle of champagne I'd brought to celebrate her new estate purchase. But when I reached her door, something felt off. It was cracked open, just slightly.

"Marissa?" I called out, pushing it wider. "Your door's open!"

No answer.

That's when I heard it. A whimper. Then what sounded like someone in pain.

"Mari?" My heart started racing. Was someone hurting her? I fumbled for my phone, ready to call Reid first – he'd know what to do. But as I dialed his number, I heard it again.

A cry that sounded like distress.

I pressed call and started moving toward the stairs, following the sounds. Reid's phone rang once, twice...

Then I heard his ringtone coming from upstairs.

I froze on the stairs, my phone still pressed to my ear. That was definitely Reid's ringtone – the same stupid song he'd had for years. But what would he be doing here?

The call went to voicemail just as I heard Marissa's voice, clearer now.

"Why's she calling now? She's so overbearing."

My blood went cold. She was talking about me.

"Seriously," came a male voice in response. Reid's voice. "Can't even enjoy an afternoon without her checking up on me."

I pressed myself against the wall, my hands shaking. This couldn't be happening. Reid was supposed to be at work. He'd kissed me goodbye this morning, told me he had back-to-back meetings all day.

"She probably wants to tell you about some stupid thing she bought," Marissa laughed. "God, I can't wait until we don't have to pretend anymore."

"Soon," Reid said, his voice getting closer to the door. "The plan's already in motion. The papers are almost ready. A few more doctor visits, some episodes, and we can have her committed."

"And then?" Marissa asked.

"Then accidents happen in those places. Tragic, really. And as her devoted husband, I'll inherit everything her father left her."

They were talking about killing me.

My legs felt like water. I wanted to run, to scream, to wake up from this nightmare. But I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

"We're having a baby," Marissa said suddenly, her voice soft and dreamy. "You're going to be a father."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I pressed my hand to my stomach, to my own secret, and felt something die inside me.

"Really?" The tenderness in Reid's voice – I'd never heard him sound like that. Not with me. Not even when I'd begged him to keep trying for a baby.

"Really," Marissa whispered.

"I can't wait," Reid said. "Finally, something good in my life."

Something good? What about me? What about our baby that he didn't know about yet?

I couldn't listen anymore. My legs moved on their own, carrying me up the rest of the stairs. The bedroom door was barely open, but I could see everything through the gap.

There... was my husband. My Reid. On top of my cousin.

"Reid," Marissa gasped, her legs wrapped around him. "God, yes, right there."

I wanted to scream. Run. Throw up. Instead I just stood there watching my life fall apart.

I pushed away from the wall and stumbled into the room.

"You bastard."

They both turned, Reid rolling off Marissa so fast he nearly fell off the bed. For a second, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Then Reid smiled. Actually smiled.

"Soraya. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." My voice didn't sound like mine. It sounded hollow. Dead.

Marissa was scrambling for a sheet, but she wasn't even embarrassed. She looked... excited. Like this was exactly what she'd wanted.

"This isn't what it looks like," Reid started, but I cut him off.

"Really? Because it looks like my husband is screwing my cousin and planning to murder me for my inheritance."

Reid stood up, not bothering to cover himself. "You always were too smart for your own good."

"Smart enough to know you're both monsters."

"Oh, Soraya," Marissa said, wrapping the sheet around herself. "You always thought you were so special. Daddy's princess with her trust fund. Well guess what? Your perfect life was built on my misery."

"What?"

"You had everything I ever wanted. The perfect life, the luxury, the talent. Everything," she continued, her voice getting sharper. "I was always in your shadow, never good enough. Not measuring up to your level. But now I'm going to have everything, and even more than you ever did."

"So you decided to steal my life?"

"I'm taking what should've been mine all along."

Reid walked to the dresser, pulled out papers. "Transfer documents. You're signing the company over."

"Hell no. You both are going to pay for everything you've done."

"Sweetheart, you are going to sign it," Marissa said. "Or everyone finds out about your breakdown. The voices, the paranoia."

"I never-"

"Didn't you?" Reid asked. "Last week? Hearing things? Someone moving your stuff?"

That was real. But Reid had convinced me I was being paranoid.

"That was you," I whispered.

I turned and headed for the door. I couldn't stay here any longer.

"Where are you going?" Reid's voice was sharp.

"Getting as far away as possible from you psychos," I said, already walking toward the stairs.

I made it to the top of the stairs before Reid grabbed my arm.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. "You know too much now."

"Let go of me."

"Reid, just let her go," Marissa said, but she was laughing. "What's she going to do? Call the police? With what proof?"

"She's not calling anyone," Reid said, his grip tightening. "Are you, Soraya?"

I tried to pull away, but he was stronger. "You're hurting me."

"Not yet, I'm not."

I started fighting. Clawed at his face, hitting his chest, anything just to make him let me go. When that didn't work, I kneed him between his legs.

"Crazy bitch," he snarled, grabbing both my wrists. "Marissa, help me."

Marissa came over. "What do you want me to do?"

"Hold her."

"Let me go. You can't do this to me," I said, then turned to my cousin, hoping she might help me out. "Please, Mari. We're family."

"Family?" She laughed in my ear. "Sorry, cousin."

Marissa's grip shifted, and before I could react, she shoved me hard.

I fell down the stairs, my body hitting each step in a painful blur before my head struck something hard which sent a binding explosion of pain through me.

I tasted blood in my mouth. My head felt strange, too heavy and too light at the same time. I tried to move, but my body didn't obey no matter how much I tried. Above me, I heard their voices. They were arguing.

"Jesus Christ, Marissa! You weren't supposed to actually kill her!"

"She hit her head! It's not my fault!"

"There's so much blood..."

"Is she breathing?"

"I don't know! Check!"

I wanted to tell them I was breathing, but my mouth wouldn't work.

The last thing I heard was Reid's voice, cold and calculating.

"Call Dr. Martinez. We need a death certificate."

And everything went black.

---

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a bed and not the floor like I remembered.

I looked around and noticed the room seemed familiar. Then I saw the glow-in-the-dark stars.

I sat up, my heart pounding. This was my childhood bedroom. I remembered putting those stars up when I was sixteen, arranged in constellations I'd learned from my dad.

But this wasn't how it looked now – it looked exactly like my room when I still lived here. The purple walls, the acting awards on my dresser, the headshots scattered across my desk.

Then I heard my phone ringing.

I picked it up with shaking hands. The caller ID made my blood freeze.

Marissa.

The date on the screen was ten years ago. The day of the audition.

I stared at the phone, remembering. This was when she called crying about Jake breaking up with her. This was when I chose to be a good cousin instead of chasing my dreams.

The phone kept ringing.

This time, I answered.

"Soraya!" Marissa's voice was thick with tears. "Oh God, I need you. Jake broke up with me and I can't... I can't handle this alone. Can you come over? Please?"

Ten years ago, I'd said yes immediately. I'd dropped everything and ran to comfort her, missing the most important audition of my life.

Not this time.

"No," I said simply.

"What?"

"I said no, Marissa. I can't come over."

"But I need you! This is an emergency!"

"Your emergency. Not mine."

I hung up.

The silence in my room was deafening. I walked to my mirror, staring at my reflection. I was young again – twenty-one, with clear skin and bright eyes.

I smiled at my reflection, and it wasn't a nice smile.

Because now I had the knowledge of everything that would happen. Everything they'd done to me. Everything they'd planned.

"You stole everything from me once, Marissa," I whispered to the mirror. "Let's see how you handle me this time."

My phone buzzed with a text from her:

Please don't do this to me. I thought we were family.

I deleted it without responding.

Then I picked up my headshots, grabbed my keys, and headed for the door.

I had an audition to get to.

And this time, I was going to make sure I got there first.