On the day I died, I clung to Dominic's arm with the last shred of strength I had and demanded an answer.
"Why?"
"Why did you do this to me?"
Dominic just let out a long sigh.
"Ava, you really were wonderful. But Fiona was pampered her whole life. She can't handle hardship. I couldn't bear to let her suffer."
That was the moment I stopped breathing. I died right there in that hospital room.
My soul drifted above the bed. I watched my son throw himself into Fiona's arms and call her Mommy, and only then did I understand how deep Dominic's love for her ran, how far he'd been willing to scheme for her sake.
How utterly tragic my life had been.
My mother-in-law stood there with my words lodged in her chest, her face mottled purple.
Fiona sprang to her feet immediately, rubbing the old woman's chest, eyes rimmed red.
"Ava, how can you say something so cruel? Just because the Prescott family fell on hard times, you think you can humiliate us?"
"Dominic was only worried about me being all alone in the world. He just wanted to help the Prescott family get back on its feet, and you're so overbearing you'd slander us over it."