Curtis had used that money to force me to my knees, to make me apologize to Margot.
And now that same money had killed my mother.
To him, it was nothing. The cost of a dinner. A handbag.
To me, it was the last straw.
I nearly lost my mind. I wanted to run out that door and drag Curtis down with me.
But Agnes stopped me.
Her eyes were red as she begged me to let it go. Told me the dead couldn't come back. Told me I had to keep living.
I sat motionless through the night, crying until there was nothing left.
Curtis didn't come home until dawn, still drunk.
He flinched when he saw me—a wreck on the floor—and quickly pulled me to my feet.
The moment his arm moved, Margot's perfume hit me like a slap.
He didn't even notice. Just pulled me close, murmuring comfort.
"What's wrong, Emma? Why are you crying like this?"
"Is it the thing with Margot? Or what people are saying online?"
"It's okay. We can drop the act if you want."
"You can stay home from now on. Just be Mrs. Delgado."
"I'll work hard, get a solid footing at the company. No one will ever bully you again."
I looked up at him, and a memory surfaced.
Years ago. The day we first met.
What Curtis had said to me then:
"Emma, I've seen your work. You're talented. Really talented."
"Don't ever give up on your dreams."
"I'll be with you every step of the way. I'll be your rock."
A kindred spirit—that's what I thought I'd found.
So I threw myself into my career. Took every role, every endorsement. Worked until I was vomiting blood, and still I didn't stop.
I didn't realize Curtis only wanted my fame to build his own connections.
Now his position was secure.
He didn't need a star anymore.
So I was supposed to abandon my dreams. Fade into the background.
And my mother had to die—so I'd have nowhere else to turn. So I'd settle down and be a good little wife. A supportive partner...
The pain was so total I couldn't speak.
I tried to pull away from his touch, but he let go first.
He was staring at his phone, his expression tense.
"Emma, get some rest. I'll have Agnes come stay with you."
"Something urgent came up at the office."
He rushed out without a second glance.
He didn't know Margot had sent me the same message.
To celebrate finally "taming" me, Curtis had bought her a villa worth thirty million dollars.
Right now, she was waiting for him in lingerie.
How pathetic. How absurd.
I scrolled through the calls to blacklist me, and the tears came again.