The doctors said that if I had been brought in just half an hour later, I would’ve been permanently disabled. But to Tyler, it was nothing more than a scratch.
I looked at the boy I had raised for ten years. A boy who once clung to me, soft and sweet, calling me Auntie Nadine with adoration in his eyes. A boy who used to say that heaven must have made a mistake—because the mother he chose should have been me. A boy who once told me that fate had finally corrected itself by bringing me into his life.
And now? Now he looked at me like I was his worst enemy. But none of it mattered anymore. It was almost over.
I swallowed back my emotions. The two of them stood there, waiting, making it clear that if I refused to cook, they wouldn’t let it go.
Bitterness rose in my throat, but I forced a laugh, “At least push me downstairs first.”
David let out a cold chuckle and waved over a servant.
“Don’t use this as an excuse to get close to me.”
***
In the kitchen, Yvonne strolled in casually, acting like she owned the place.
“Thanks for looking after my home, sis,” she said, flashing a saccharine smile.
“When you leave, I’ll tell David to give you some extra money.”