chapter 7

Two nurses helped me down the corridor, leaving Margaret behind, jaw clenched and eyes blazing.

I glanced back long enough to see her rage-contorted face and felt a bright, satisfying rush of revenge.

As soon as I walked through the door, I gave the housekeeper several days of paid leave and informed Margaret that every household duty would now rest on her shoulders.

Determined to secure my kidney for her precious son, my mother-in-law had no choice but to tie on an apron herself. She bustled about the kitchen, wearing a grin so stiff it threatened to crack.

“Viv,” she said brightly. “This is lentil soup. Nothing restores blood and energy faster. Drink up and get strong so you can save Colin.”

I sipped once, gagged, and let the bowl slip, causing the soup to splash across her blouse before the porcelain shattered on the tiles.

Scalded, Margaret shrieked, “You little witch, I ought to kill you!”

I dodged her flailing hand and pointed a jagged shard at her. “Lay a finger on me, and no one will donate a kidney to your son. Besides, the soup is briny enough to pickle organs. Are you trying to ruin mine as well?”

She froze, fury pulsing in her eyes, yet fear pinned her feet to the floor.

“The seasoning is perfect,” she snapped. “You spilled it on purpose just to torment me.”

I already had the assets transferred to my name, so I met her gaze with an easy smile.

“Exactly. If you cannot stand the work, stop pampering me and watch Colin’s chances vanish.”

Margaret clutched her chest and wheezed, hopping with helpless rage.

After sputtering the word “you” half a dozen times, she slunk back to the stove and started the meal all over again.

I watched her retreating figure and let a satisfied grin bloom.

Back when the housekeeper was still around, Margaret never missed a chance to order me about. “Viv, no matter how much a woman earns outside, she must cook for her husband at home. The robot vacuum wastes electricity; use a mop instead. I want ribs tomorrow, so pick them up after work.”

Colin would always defend me then, and seeing him scolded on my behalf, I swallowed my resentment.

Living this life a second time, I finally recognized their theatrics.

They wanted me to believe Colin loved me so fiercely that he would challenge his mother.

Now, she could taste the life she once forced on me.

With unexpected leisure, I hired a private investigator to dig into Colin and a distant cousin of his, Harris Quinn.

When the report revealed Colin drowning in gambling debt, I instructed the investigator to whisper every detail to Harris.

Harris stormed into Colin’s hospital room, menace radiating from every pore.

“Pay up,” Harris growled. “Or I tell Vivian what truly happened back then. Once she knows everything, that kidney is off the table, and you can start planning your funeral.”

Colin cursed under his breath. “Take the money and get out. If I see you again, you’re dead.”

Harris drained every last dollar from Colin’s mobile wallet before swaggering away.

Colin was now truly penniless, and Harris would soon discover that spending stolen cash was never as easy as taking it.

He pocketed the cash and went straight to a brothel. I called the police without blinking, and by dusk, he was sporting the precinct’s shiny silver bracelets.

I kept stalling for time, and at last, Autumn’s body gave out.

I had only just alerted security to escort George and Margaret away when they reappeared, balancing a bowl of fruit, Margaret’s face pinched with panic.

“Viv,” she began, her voice trembling. “It has been seven days. You look perfectly recovered. I asked the doctor, and she said you are strong enough to donate a kidney now.”

George chimed in, “Colin is getting worse by the hour. Please go in for surgery quickly; every delay only makes the risk greater.”

I watched their little performance in silence, contempt curling in my chest. With a deliberate sigh, I said, “It is only the seventh day. Dr. Mansfield told me I need at least two full weeks of rest.”

Margaret exploded, screaming, “No, you are going to the hospital today. Colin can no longer hold on. There is no more time to waste!”

As she spoke, she and George lunged to drag me off the bed.

I slapped her. “Don’t touch me.”

The sting on her cheek had barely settled when my next words froze her in place.

“You care so deeply for Autumn—she gets admitted and suddenly you turn frantic,” I said.

Margaret’s gaze skittered away. She stammered, “W-What are you talking about? Colin is the one who is sick.”

I let out a cold laugh and lifted my phone. Autumn’s medical chart glowed on the screen while disgust spread across my face.

“Stop lying. The patient with kidney failure is Autumn, not Colin. The lengths you will go for that home-wrecking daughter-in-law are truly astonishing.”