Chapter 3

3

She looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

"Miss Sterling, you are a suspect in a poisoning case. We have conclusive evidence. Please come with us."

The officers prepared to take her into custody. Holly started screaming and backing away in terror.

"I didn't do it! Shawn, save me!" she yelled.

But Shawn was a man who cared deeply about his image. Defending her now would be admitting to the affair publicly. He wasn't going to take that risk.

Seeing he wouldn't help, Holly turned her fury on the police. "You're framing me! Where's the evidence? I bet this bitch paid you off! How much? I'll pay double!"

She was so delusional she actually thought she could bribe them right there. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

The officers' faces turned stone-cold. They dragged her out of the apartment and toward the patrol car.

"Shawn! Help me!" she wailed. Then, realizing what kind of man he was, she changed her tactic. "If you don't help me, what will happen to our son in my belly?"

The room went silent. Shawn and Gertrude froze, staring at the departing police car in shock.

Gertrude grabbed Shawn's sleeve, her eyes wide. Shawn turned to me, his finger trembling as he pointed at my face. "You… you wicked woman!"

I was genuinely amused by their twisted logic. I brushed some dust off my clothes and leaned back on the sofa.

"Let's have a real talk, shall we? After all, there's a little son involved now."

I tossed a different set of divorce papers onto the coffee table and tapped them with my finger.

"If you want your son to stay out of a jail cell tonight, sign this. I'll drop the charges immediately."

"Jail is a cold, dark place. I wonder if a three-month-old fetus can handle that kind of stress," I mused, admiring my new manicure.

Gertrude panicked. For years, she had treated me like dirt because I hadn't given her a grandson. Now that one was finally on the way, she couldn't lose him.

Shawn picked up the papers and read them. His face darkened. "No way."

The papers stated that I got custody of Hazel, the house, and a lump sum of $100,000 in child support. Hazel would have nothing to do with the Baxters ever again.

It seemed like a lot, but compared to the $2 million payout he was expecting, it was a drop in the bucket.

I started peeling an apple slowly. "I'm in no rush. The police have already cleared my name and confirmed your mistress was the one drugging people."

"She could be looking at years in prison. But since she's gone, I guess you and I can just stay married and work things out."

I sounded perfectly reasonable, but Shawn's heart skipped a beat. He only had a month left. If I found out about the $2 million, he'd never get a divorce without losing half.

He weighed his options and grit his teeth. "You can have the house, but I don't have that much cash."

"Fine, $100,000. If you don't have it now, you can pay in installments. Child support is adjusted based on income anyway, and I'm sure you'll be making much more soon."

Shawn looked incredibly nervous, fearing I might change my mind. He signed the papers instantly.

As soon as Shawn moved out, I put the house up for sale. I took all my money and put down payments on several apartments in a different district.

Based on my memory of the future, I moved Hazel to a new school. Meeting Xavier Blackwood was part of my plan.

In my past life, when I met him, he had lost everything. He was a broken man standing on the edge of a roof, ready to jump.

I remembered him saying he had been in a car accident that left him with a permanent limp because he hadn't recovered properly.

It had been a huge scandal in the city back then. Now, he was standing at the entrance of my new complex, chatting with an elderly lady, looking every bit the successful businessman.

I was walking past them with my groceries when a car lost control and sped toward them. People started screaming.

In a flash, I realized this was the accident. It wasn't him driving; it was a freak occurrence.

Without thinking, I threw my heavy bags under the wheels and shoved Xavier and the old woman out of the way.

As a surge of warmth flowed from my forehead, I realized I was an idiot. If a big man like him couldn't avoid it, how could I?

Before I blacked out, my last thought was: "Well, that was impulsive."