Out of guilt and gratitude, Layla brought my mother and me into her home and covered all my father's medical expenses. For five years, she gave me the best care imaginable. In that closeness, we developed feelings for each other.
The year I graduated, Layla declared her love at the ceremony. In front of the entire school, she promised me the happiest life in the world.
In the end, she broke that promise.
The day Bryce Gilbert returned from abroad marked the end of my endurance.
I stared into Layla's pitch-black eyes, searching for any trace of the woman I once knew. "Have you forgotten my father is in that vegetative state because he saved you?"
My voice cracked. "And now—for him—you're threatening to pull the plug?"
A violent tremor ran through me. Even with her cruelty laid bare, I couldn't comprehend that she would sink this low to protect Bryce.
Layla closed her eyes and sighed, as if she were the aggrieved party.
"I've already punished him. He knows he was wrong." Her tone was dismissive. "We're family, Brandon. No need to drag this through court and become a laughingstock."
I knew what her "punishment" meant. Ground him for a few days. Freeze his credit cards. A farce.