“It favors him,” the lawyer said. “If you divorce him, you lose your company. If he divorces you, he keeps seventy percent. If you die while married, the company still goes to him.”
My mouth went dry. I felt small, stupid, and trapped.
“I need the divorce papers by tomorrow,” I said. “Find a loophole.”
Before he could answer, my phone rang. It was from the hospital.
“Mrs. Morales, your mother—” the nurse began. “We’re scheduling to remove her corneas.”
I stood so fast I nearly fell. “What? No. Who authorized that?”
The nurse read from a file. “Your husband authorized the procedure, ma’am. You signed consent.”
“I never signed anything!” I said.
I was at the hospital a few minutes later, my heart pounding. My mother was admitted to the hospital three weeks ago after she had a heart attack and collapsed from the top floor. She's been in a coma ever since.
The doctor met me in the corridor with a calm face and a paper in her hand.
“Mrs. Morales, your husband signed. You agreed to donate—” she began.
“Who were those corneas for?” I demanded.
The doctor flipped a page. “Dr. Chloe Morales requested them for research,” she said, then added, quietly, “She is also a resident surgeon here.”
My skin went cold. “You will not touch my mother,” I said, loud and steady. “If anyone tries anything, I will sue this hospital into the ground.”
They backed off and I left with my hands shaking from anger.
By the time I got back home, my anger had not cooled. I slammed open the door and froze.
My sister sat before me. She was tied to a chair. Her clothes were torn. Tears streaked her face.
“Hello, Amber,” Jason said calmly, a cold smile on his lips. “I’ve been waiting.”
Amber’s Pov
“What is going on here?” My voice shook as my eyes darted from Jason to my sister tied up in the chair.
Jane’s cheeks were streaked with tears, her hair messy, her clothes ripped. She looked so small, so helpless.
Jason leaned against the wall, calm as though the sight before us was nothing. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.
“You pissed me off, Amber, even when I tried to be nice,” he said flatly. “So I pulled your sister out of her boarding school. I thought she’d help me teach you a lesson.”
Jane whimpered, “Amber… please…” Her voice was barely a whisper.
My knees weakened, but I forced myself forward. “Why, Jason? Why would you do this to her? She’s just a child!”