chapter 8

Margaret lunged at me, aiming to snatch the phone, but I slipped aside.

“If you are so worried about Autumn, then get out and keep her company.”

Security arrived in seconds, pinned them both, and dragged them toward the corridor.

Margaret shrieked, her voice like a serrated blade, “You ungrateful witch, worthless woman! I am your mother-in-law—how dare you throw me out of this house?”

George refused to back down. He hovered near the doorway, phone in hand, ready to weaponize a police call against me.

“I’m dialing right now. I’ll report you for abusing the elderly!” George barked.

Deep wrinkles creased his face, yet smugness shone there, certain the mere threat would make me yield.

I folded my arms and watched the pair flail, a slow smile curving across my lips.

“Go ahead. Let the officers decide the sentence for stealing a bracelet worth two hundred thousand,” I said, my voice calm.

Margaret’s hand twitched and, with shaky bravado, she cried, “Rubbish! When did I ever steal your bracelet?”

I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen until the security footage filled the space between us.

“I installed cameras days ago and recorded every second of your little heist,” I reminded her as the video rolled. “I’ll ask Mr. Chesterton right now, so you know what sentence to expect.”

“Please, don’t call the police. We’ll leave right now,” they pleaded in unison, eyes wide with fear.

Clutching their things, they slunk out of the house, humiliation trailing behind them like smoke.

Of course, the real bracelet had long since been replaced. The piece Margaret pocketed was a tacky imitation worth barely twenty. One could only control someone with proof of their sins. I had noticed other trinkets disappear, but stayed silent for Colin’s sake. A few days ago, I flaunted a so-called heirloom bracelet, certain her greed would flare. Sure enough, she crept in that very night.

Back in my room, I found a fresh video clip from the private investigator on my phone.

On screen, Colin looked flushed and healthy, a far cry from the dying man he claimed to be. He held Autumn close, worry knitting his brow.

“Autumn, don’t worry. I’ll make that despicable Vivian hand over her kidney,” Colin vowed. “Can you believe she wants all my assets in exchange for the transplant?”

The moment he spoke my name, fury twisted his features into something almost feral.

Autumn sagged against him. When she wiped away the rouge brightening her cheeks, her skin turned ghost-pale.

“Darling, the doctors say I am running out of time. I can’t wait for another donor,” she whispered. “She used to obey your every command. Why has she changed now?”

In my previous life, I had indeed bowed to his every whim, hurrying to surrender my kidney. Now that I had seen the monster behind his mask, the urge to gut him was hard to swallow.

Colin ground his teeth, hatred dripping from every syllable he forced out.

“She was faking it the whole time—heartless witch,” he spat. “I can’t believe she threw Mom and Dad out. I’m going home right now to deal with her. She signed the consent form, so she has to give up the kidney!”

I closed the video clip and allowed a thin, mocking smile to curl at the corner of my mouth.

I had predicted every move. The moment I chased his parents out, Colin would rush in right behind them. Let him come. I had already built the stage, and the play was about to begin.

I sent a text to my neighbor, Lucy Woods, a music-streamer with a large online following. I wrote, "Lucy, I’ve had my rest and am ready for our duet. Let’s stream it live."

Lucy replied almost at once, texting, "Perfect. Thank you for doing this. Don’t feel nervous when the cameras go on."

I had barely sent her an “all right” when the door shuddered beneath a volley of furious kicks.

“Vivian Shaw, get out here!” Colin bellowed from the corridor, punctuating each word with another savage kick against the wood.

From the security feed, I watched a guard seize Colin’s arm. “Mr. Sorrell, Ms. Shaw said no one from the Sorrell family is permitted here,” the guard said.

Eyes bloodshot, Colin pressed a dagger to his throat. “Touch me and I’ll kill myself. You wouldn’t want a death in your fancy complex, would you?”

I let out a short, derisive laugh. That cowardly Colin would never dare do so.

The guard looked helpless. “Ms. Shaw, could you come out for a moment, please?”

I opened the intercom and spoke icily. “Do you have the guts to die?”

Fury blazing, Colin rammed the door. “Come out and go to the hospital with me!”

He brandished the Kidney Donation Consent Form and jabbed a finger at my signature. “You signed in your own free will. The lawyer and notary were there. If you want the money, don’t even think of backing out!”

I yanked the door open and stepped aside. Colin’s momentum carried him past me; he hit the floor with a howl. The guard snatched the fallen dagger before he could scramble up.

Colin glared at me, hatred boiling in his eyes. Lunging from his knees, he shouted, “Vivian, you b*tch—you’re going, whether you want to or not!”

As the guards pinned his arms, Colin roared, “Let go! I live here. You have no right to throw me out!”

A mocking smile tugged at my lips. “The flat is under my name, Colin. I can throw you out whenever I please.”

I slammed the consent form under Colin’s nose. “You cheated on me, betrayed every promise, and now you expect my kidney to save your mistress? Keep dreaming. Take a good look at the recipient’s name. It says Colin Sorrell, not Autumn Langley. That means the whole document is worthless. Autumn has no right to demand my kidney.”