"I was just worried you'd been deceived by a terrible man. I only wanted to help you find a husband who truly loved you and trusted you."
"Look! If I hadn't tested him this time, you would've married a bad man. What if someday another woman came along and made up lies about you, just like I did? Then you'd—"
I flung her hand off, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.
"You weren't doing it for my sake! Every single time, all you've done is hurt me!"
Roberta blinked, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Okay, okay. You're right. It's my fault. Let's just get you to the hospital first."
She pulled me up by force. My legs could barely hold me. She pushed me into the car.
The car drove straight past the hospital. Straight toward a hotel.
I watched the road with growing alarm.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
She just smiled, something secretive curling at the corners of her mouth, and dragged my weakened body out of the car and into a room.
The door swung open. Inside stood a group of burly men, leering, their faces twisted with ugly intent.
Roberta let out a piercing scream, ripped her own clothes, smashed her own forehead against the doorframe until it bled, and bolted out of the room.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Miss Sawyer! I won't fight you for him! I won't fight you for anything! Please stop hitting me!"
Every instinct in my body screamed danger. I forced myself upright, reaching for her, trying to grab hold of her.
Before I could steady myself, the door was kicked open.
Clay took in the scene. Me. The men behind me.
His eyes went red.
His hand whipped across my face.
"Lydia! Do you have a death wish?!"
"Not only do you refuse to repent, now you're trying to destroy Roberta?! You'd go this far to ruin her?! How can you be this vicious?!"
"I didn't!"
I bit down on my lip and screamed.
"It was Roberta who opened the freezer and brought me here!"
"Enough!" Clay's voice was a whip crack. "I'm the only one who knows the passcode to that freezer. There's no way Roberta could have opened it. You obviously unlocked it yourself and dragged her in here!"
He ground his teeth, his eyes savage.
"Fine. Threatening your life won't make you bend. Let's see if your mother's life does the trick."
My eyes went wide. "What are you going to do?!"
Clay turned to his men without hesitation. "Have Lydia's mother removed from the hospital immediately. No one touches her case."
"No!"