I gathered the boxes of Darren’s gifts, dragging them outside. One by one, I threw them into the trash, then lit a match. Flames devoured our wedding photo, the diamond earrings, the dress he bought me for our anniversary.
Everything burned. Just like us.
****
It was Sally’s birthday. Darren was throwing her a yacht party.
Something he had never done for me.
“You’re not jealous, are you?” he said, adjusting his beige suit in the mirror. “I’m just making her feel loved since her husband’s gone. On your twenty-sixth, I’ll throw you something bigger. Promise.”
I faked a smile. Nodded. Watched him admire his own reflection.
Once he left, I locked the bedroom door and went to his safe.
The password was laughably easy — Alex’s birth date.
Inside, I found documents. Contracts, medical files. Proof of the heart transplant. Proof of everything.
I snapped photos quickly, replacing each paper with meticulous care.
At the yacht, Sally flaunted her diamond-studded watch and paraded around in the necklace Darren had gifted her. The champagne sparkled in her glass as she basked in her friends’ laughter.
Later, seeking air, I slipped to a quieter deck. Sally intercepted me, baby Alex pressed to her chest.
“You weren’t supposed to come,” she spat.
“I’d rather drown than enjoy this circus. Darren practically dragged me here.”
Her hand shot out, shoving me. “Bitch. You’ll always be jealous because Darren loves me.”
Before I could retort, she slipped on the wet floor. Her shriek split the air. Guests rushed as she crumpled, clutching Alex. Blood oozed from a cut on her wrist.
“She pushed me!” Sally wailed, pointing at me.
Janine snatched the crying baby. “Eliana, how could you?”
“I didn’t touch her!”
Darren’s eyes were wild. “You were the only one here. Stop lying!”
Sally sobbed, “She wanted my baby dead!”
Before I could breathe, Darren seized me, dragging me to the yacht’s edge. “Apologize!” he roared.
“Darren—please—I can’t swim—”
“Then drown.” His shove sent me plunging into icy water.
The sea closed over my head. Salt scorched my throat. My limbs flailed uselessly.
“Apologize!” his voice thundered above.
Gasping, I sputtered, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Sally! Just don’t let me die—”
Her fake concern churned my stomach. “Darren, save her. Even if she tried to kill me, I won’t hold it against her.”
He barked for his men. They dragged me back up, my body convulsing with cold.