"Yes, Mina. Yes, yes, yes," Rose hisses, leaning forward. "You know that Madeline hates you. She hates you more than anybody else in the world. Her hatred for you burns—it’s an inferno. Nothing can ever tame it. She hates you like I have never seen before. That’s how much she hates you."I clench my fists. "Now you’re trying to destroy my home, my family. After trying to kill me, now you’re going to try to destroy my home?" My voice trembles, my mind racing. "Madeline has been there for years. She has never done this. You just want to get in my head and alienate me from people who care. Why? Just because I’m not with Eric anymore? Because I’m dating Emerson now? That’s why she suddenly wants to kill me?" I shake my head. "I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Emerson’s baby. If she wanted to kill me, she had all the chances to. Why would she want to kill me now?"Rose scoffs. "Oh, I see. I must be lying to you, right? That’s what you think? After all, I want nothing good for you. All I want is
I shake my head. "Excuse me? You're wrong. Madeline and Emerson? No.... They can’t—he would have told me."Rose gives me a knowing look. "Would he, really?" She raises an eyebrow. "Do you realize how weird that would be? ‘Oh hey, honey, by the way, I was sleeping with the woman who works in my house before I decided to propose to you.’ Yeah, that would go over well."I shake my head again, more forcefully this time. "No. It can't be."She exhales sharply. "It is what happened. Why don’t you ask Madeline? Or better yet, ask Emerson. I’m sure one of them will fess up and tell you the truth."I feel my world tilting, my mind racing. This is too much. It doesn’t make sense. I keep thinking about Emerson. I keep thinking about Madeline. There were no signs. I would have seen something...I swallow hard. "It can’t be right."But a nagging voice in my head whispers—Would Emerson lie to me about something this big?Because if it is true, then I already know why Madeline would want me dead.R
"I tried to talk to her," Rose continues, her voice filled with regret. "I tried to tell her to forget about it. You were pregnant now. The two of you were planning to get married. After the pregnancy, Emerson was clearly taken by you. He was in love with you, and it was so obvious. He doted on you. You were so happy, and there was no question about the two of you being in love, about being a family."She pauses, looking down at her hands as if replaying the events in her mind."I tried to tell Madeline to see that. I tried to tell her to give up on this competition with you. I tried to tell her to forget about Emerson. He obviously didn’t love her. I mean, if they had been dating all those years, and he’d never shown her how he felt about her, then he probably didn’t feel for her that way."I try to process her words, but a knot tightens in my stomach."She wouldn’t understand," Rose murmurs. "And that’s one of the reasons she started shutting me off. I kept telling her that she shou
She lets out a long sigh. "So I went back into the kitchen to find the pudding. I met the waitress who needed help at the back of the house. I showed her where everything was, and when I came back inside… the pudding was gone...I thought maybe someone else had taken it."I nod slowly, the realization settling deeper within me. “That must have been when Treyson arrived and had taken it,” I tell her, my voice steady but shaking inside.“Yes, it must have been,” Rose agrees, her eyes wide. “But I didn’t know that at the time. So, I started rushing outside, thinking that you had already eaten it. And then I find you, you know, eating the pudding. I don’t even think about it. I just flash towards you and throw the ball away..."" And then you tell me not to eat it.”“Did I say that?” she asks, surprised.I nod, her face pained as she continues. “Yeah, maybe I did. But I don’t remember saying that either. I was just so focused on
I can't believe this, but I know that it is true. It had all been right there, right in front of my face. Madeline's love for Emerson was so obvious. And her hatred for me. There were so many times she showed me how she hated me. But I chose to ignore that. I chose to ignore the things that I hated about her. The things that irritated me about her. I chose to solve it to feel good. I chose to try and find a relationship with her. Because my relationship with my mother was dead. So I tried finding it in this woman. This person I thought I knew. She had shown her disdain for me from the start, And when she wanted to hush things down with me, I was so happy. I felt like I had gotten my mom back.But when I was thinking that, this woman was planning my death. She was planning my downfall. Mine. And she didn't even care about this baby. This poor baby hadn't done anything towards her. She is dangerous. Who does that? Who hates you so much and smiles on your f
My husband’s phone pinged with a message. I was about to take it to him at work because he’d forgotten it at home. The message was from my sister. Curiosity piqued, I entered the password to unlock the phone and went to the message.“I AM PREGNANT.”My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Pregnant? I had to sit down for this. I sank into a nearby chair and began scrolling through the messages between my sister and my husband. The evidence was clear: they had been having an affair for a very long time, and now it looked like she was pregnant. Something I couldn’t even manage to do.A tear escaped my eye as I tried to compose myself. It shouldn’t have been a complete surprise, considering how close they had recently become and how oddly they had been acting. I had suspected they might be involved, but I didn’t want to believe that the two people I trusted most could betray me in this way. Still, I should have suspected it.She’s probably not pregnant with him, I lied to myself as I texted
While still dancing and thinking about the man who had just walked into the bar, I felt the guy I was grinding against starting to get a little too handsy. His hands clumsily wandered towards my waist, then my butt, and soon he was trying to slip his fingers inside my dress. I swatted at his hands, but he didn't stop. Frustrated, I decided to leave the dance floor, but he grabbed me and pulled me back.I was too drunk and uncoordinated to fight him off effectively. As I pushed him away, telling him to leave me alone, “Let go of me…..let me go.“ His hands continued their unwanted exploration. The music was too loud and everyone around us was lost in their own world, and no one seemed to notice or care.Just as his hand began to gain entrance into my dress, rising higher and higher, dread filled me. I struggled to push him away. Suddenly, I heard a fierce growl. "Stay away from her! She said no."The man was shoved away from me, and I looked towards my rescuer. The voice sounded fam
“No, I don't think it's a great idea. I think I’m just going to go. You're already here, you’re fine," he responds, clearly uncomfortable."What if something happens to me?" I ask."Nothing's going to happen to you here. Its a great hotel and there is good security. I wouldn't just leave you anywhere.....," he says."How do you know that?“ I interrupt him."Because....." He sighs as he watches me again before asking, “What do you want from me now?““ Come inside, we can stay on the couch or something. Don’t leave me alone; I really don’t want to be alone tonight. Please....!"He looks at me, weighing his options, before finally relenting. "Alright, fine," he says, closing the door behind him and stepping into the room.He goes and takes a seat on the sofa, and I sit down next to him. "Do you want some coffee?" he asks. "Maybe I could order it or something.""No, just a glass of water, maybe," I say softly.He pours water into a glass from a bottle and hands it to me. Our eyes meet, an
I can't believe this, but I know that it is true. It had all been right there, right in front of my face. Madeline's love for Emerson was so obvious. And her hatred for me. There were so many times she showed me how she hated me. But I chose to ignore that. I chose to ignore the things that I hated about her. The things that irritated me about her. I chose to solve it to feel good. I chose to try and find a relationship with her. Because my relationship with my mother was dead. So I tried finding it in this woman. This person I thought I knew. She had shown her disdain for me from the start, And when she wanted to hush things down with me, I was so happy. I felt like I had gotten my mom back.But when I was thinking that, this woman was planning my death. She was planning my downfall. Mine. And she didn't even care about this baby. This poor baby hadn't done anything towards her. She is dangerous. Who does that? Who hates you so much and smiles on your f
She lets out a long sigh. "So I went back into the kitchen to find the pudding. I met the waitress who needed help at the back of the house. I showed her where everything was, and when I came back inside… the pudding was gone...I thought maybe someone else had taken it."I nod slowly, the realization settling deeper within me. “That must have been when Treyson arrived and had taken it,” I tell her, my voice steady but shaking inside.“Yes, it must have been,” Rose agrees, her eyes wide. “But I didn’t know that at the time. So, I started rushing outside, thinking that you had already eaten it. And then I find you, you know, eating the pudding. I don’t even think about it. I just flash towards you and throw the ball away..."" And then you tell me not to eat it.”“Did I say that?” she asks, surprised.I nod, her face pained as she continues. “Yeah, maybe I did. But I don’t remember saying that either. I was just so focused on
"I tried to talk to her," Rose continues, her voice filled with regret. "I tried to tell her to forget about it. You were pregnant now. The two of you were planning to get married. After the pregnancy, Emerson was clearly taken by you. He was in love with you, and it was so obvious. He doted on you. You were so happy, and there was no question about the two of you being in love, about being a family."She pauses, looking down at her hands as if replaying the events in her mind."I tried to tell Madeline to see that. I tried to tell her to give up on this competition with you. I tried to tell her to forget about Emerson. He obviously didn’t love her. I mean, if they had been dating all those years, and he’d never shown her how he felt about her, then he probably didn’t feel for her that way."I try to process her words, but a knot tightens in my stomach."She wouldn’t understand," Rose murmurs. "And that’s one of the reasons she started shutting me off. I kept telling her that she shou
I shake my head. "Excuse me? You're wrong. Madeline and Emerson? No.... They can’t—he would have told me."Rose gives me a knowing look. "Would he, really?" She raises an eyebrow. "Do you realize how weird that would be? ‘Oh hey, honey, by the way, I was sleeping with the woman who works in my house before I decided to propose to you.’ Yeah, that would go over well."I shake my head again, more forcefully this time. "No. It can't be."She exhales sharply. "It is what happened. Why don’t you ask Madeline? Or better yet, ask Emerson. I’m sure one of them will fess up and tell you the truth."I feel my world tilting, my mind racing. This is too much. It doesn’t make sense. I keep thinking about Emerson. I keep thinking about Madeline. There were no signs. I would have seen something...I swallow hard. "It can’t be right."But a nagging voice in my head whispers—Would Emerson lie to me about something this big?Because if it is true, then I already know why Madeline would want me dead.R
"Yes, Mina. Yes, yes, yes," Rose hisses, leaning forward. "You know that Madeline hates you. She hates you more than anybody else in the world. Her hatred for you burns—it’s an inferno. Nothing can ever tame it. She hates you like I have never seen before. That’s how much she hates you."I clench my fists. "Now you’re trying to destroy my home, my family. After trying to kill me, now you’re going to try to destroy my home?" My voice trembles, my mind racing. "Madeline has been there for years. She has never done this. You just want to get in my head and alienate me from people who care. Why? Just because I’m not with Eric anymore? Because I’m dating Emerson now? That’s why she suddenly wants to kill me?" I shake my head. "I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Emerson’s baby. If she wanted to kill me, she had all the chances to. Why would she want to kill me now?"Rose scoffs. "Oh, I see. I must be lying to you, right? That’s what you think? After all, I want nothing good for you. All I want is
Rose starts laughing again, the sound hollow and sharp."Even if I tell you, you're not going to believe me.""Why wouldn’t I believe you?""Because I already told the police. I already told Tom. I told everybody. But nobody listens to me.""Tell me. I'll listen." I say calmly."Really?" She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing. "So I just tell you and then what? You don’t have any evidence against them. All the evidence points to me, doesn’t it? I’m going down for this.""Just tell me. Okay? Stop going around in circles. If you didn't do it and you know who did it, just tell me who did it."Rose’s eyes meet mine, dark and unreadable."You know what I can't believe, Mina?" Rose’s voice is sharp, her eyes burning. "It’s the fact that I actually saved your fucking life. And instead of being grateful, instead of thanking me for saving your life, I ended up in jail...."I swallow, my throat dry."I think the only reason I’m here is actually because I fucking saved you. If I had let you fini
Emerson sighs. I can see that he doesn't want to take me to see Rose, but he relents as he tells the driver to take us to the police station.We reach there, and Emerson goes through all the procedures, talking to the police and everything until we are given a chance to talk to her. I sit there waiting for them to take her to a room so I can see her, but after a while, the police officer—the detective working on the case—comes in and says that Rose doesn’t want to see me."Well, I want to see her," I tell him. "I want this."The detective exhales. "We’re already going out of our way. You aren’t even allowed to see her. We’re breaking protocol letting you see her, so if she doesn’t want to see you, we can’t force her."I look towards Emerson, who is standing beside me. "I want to talk to Rose," I tell him again, my voice firm.He sighs, then turns to the detective. "Detective, can we talk for a minute outside, please?"The detective looks at me, then at Emerson, before nodding and step
Mina rested her hand gently on her stomach, the other reaching for mine. Her fingers were warm and comforting, but the pain in her eyes still lingered."Please, Emerson, don’t blame yourself for this, okay?" she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t know it could have happened, and you didn’t know it either."I shook my head, frustrated with myself. "I know, but I was just so surprised... I knew she didn’t like you, then all of a sudden, you came back, and she was all over you, pretending to care, acting like she was so happy about the baby. It should have been a red flag, but I didn’t know that. I didn’t know at the time, but I should’ve looked into it. I could have lost you if that idiot Trey hadn’t eaten your pudding."Mina’s expression softened as she reached up, cupping my cheek gently. "It’s okay," she said, her voice steady but filled with warmth. "I’m here, we’re here, the baby’s here. I just hope that we can be fine."
EmmersonMina was in and out of it, but by the next morning, luckily, she woke up. She was totally disoriented, her face scrunched up in pain, but the moment I saw her eyes open, relief crashed over me I immediately ran to the doctor, who came in and explained everything to her slowly. I watched her carefully, knowing exactly when her mind caught up with what they were saying. The moment they mentioned the baby, her entire body tensed in fear.She freaked out. Her eyes welled up, panic overtaking her pain.But the doctors reassured her. They told her that she and the baby were fine, but she would have to stay at the hospital for further monitoring. They needed to make sure the poison hadn’t caused any long-term effects on her or our unborn child.Mina broke down, tears streaming down her face.I hated seeing her cry. I leaned in, took her trembling hand in mine, and whispered, “You have to be strong, baby. You’re body