As soon as I swallowed the pill, Michael’s goons grabbed me. They held me down on
the couch, pinning my arms and legs.
Two masked men pulled out a tattoo gun and
some ink. They stabbed it into the cut on my
leg without a second thought. I gasped.
Michael stood over me.
“Billy was being a brat, but you shouldn’t have
worn her least favorite color on her birthday.
I’ve said it before, I don’t want anything
around here that she didn’t like.”
“You mess up, you get punished.”
An hour later, the cut was now a bright red
rose tattoo, with beads of blood in the
middle.
It was her favorite flower and color.
She had the same tattoo on her leg.
Michael saw my face and calmed down a
little. He waved everyone away.
He knelt down and kissed the rose. His lips
traced a path upward, tinged with desire.
“Wear her favorite red dress tonight, and if
<
you behave, I might think about giving you
back an egg.”
“But you can never, ever act like you did
today, almost letting Billy know the truth. Billy
belongs to her. No one can take her son
away.”
Michael was always confident in his abilities
and his body.
So, the first day I walked into this house, he
had them take all my eggs.
“Only my kids born in my wife’s belly are my
kids.”
“I let you raise Billy because that was her
dying wish. She trusted you to do it. Don’t get
any ideas.”
His lips were heading towards the top of my
thigh, but I didn’t obey him like I usually did. I
pushed him away.
“Michael, I’m not wearing the red dress. I’m
not going to the party.”
“My foster mom passed away today. Our
contract is over. I’m leaving.”
The desire in Michael’s eyes vanished,
replaced by anger.
He stood up, his face dark.
“It was just a foster mom. Who cares? You
gonna wear black for some woman you’re not
even related to? Don’t forget your position. I
won’t have my family make a fool of
themselves.”
“Even though Billy wasn’t born from you, he
still has half your DNA. You raised him for
seven years, and now you’re just gonna walk
out? You’re so selfish, Eve!”
He mentioned my position, and for a second, I
felt lost.
What was my position?
The illegitimate daughter of the family no one
talks about? The nanny Michael hired to raise
his kid? Or the home–wrecker Billy hated?
Michael and my half–sister, Sarah, had been
the golden couple of the town.
The family’s status rose to the top ranks of
the rich and famous.
L
Maybe their love was so perfect that God got
jealous. Sarah couldn’t have kids.
But she loved them so much. She didn’t want
to use a stranger’s eggs, and her little sister
was too young. So they came to me. I was
always worried about not being able to pay
the bills.
A million dollars paid for my foster mom’s
surgery and took my first child.
Later, Sarah died in an accident. Before she
died, she said she was worried about Billy.
She wanted me to raise him.
The family didn’t want that, but they didn’t
want Michael to marry another woman and
mess with their family’s money, so they
changed my last name to theirs and sent me
<
Michael listened to Sarah’s every word. We
made a deal: I would raise Billy and make
sure she rested in peace.
And they would pay all my foster mom’s
medical bills.
They rushed me to the courthouse to get
married. No ring, no wedding.
For seven years, I had a husband who didn’t
love me, and a son who saw me as his
enemy.
I said quietly, “I came into this house to save
my foster mom. We both got what we
wanted. Now that she’s gone, I don’t need to
stay.”
Г
“Besides, Billy doesn’t like me. If I stay, it’ll
just make him unhappy. That won’t help the
mental health of the future heir to the
company.”
Michael was glad I was thinking of Billy.
“If you’re worried about Billy not being close
to you and not having anyone to rely on in the
future, I’ll give you back an egg and have
another kid with you.”
“I won’t let that kid have the family name, but
I can give him a job at the company when he
grows up. He’ll get good benefits, and you’ll
also…”
I cut him off. I pulled out the signed divorce
papers.
“Thanks, but no thanks. Sign here.”
For years, I’d been looked down on because
of my position and the attitude of the family.
If I had another kid who wasn’t recognized,
that would be like punishing myself.
Michael lost his patience completely. He
ripped the papers to pieces.
“You’ve been living too good of a life, Eve,
acting like you don’t know what you’re doing!”
“Since you don’t want to wear the dress, you
don’t need to come to the party. I don’t want
you to ruin it.”
