Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Mom gave a flat little "All right," and set up the camera like she'd done it a hundred times.

I was so angry I shouted at her.

"It's Dad's fault! Why do you have to pay for it?"

"I don't want you to be the one who gets humiliated anymore!"

I knocked the camera over. Mom set it back up.

"Be a good girl, Hope. The family company will be yours someday."

"Protecting the stock price right now means protecting what's yours."

I still didn't understand, but her eyes looked so sad.

On camera, she was poised and gracious.

"It's all a misunderstanding. Ms. Vivian is an employee of our company. She has no one to look after her, so Vincent was kind enough to take her to the doctor."

The moment the video went out, the internet mocked her mercilessly.

They said my mother was a don's wife the way a dog was a pet.

But Dad was pleased.

He finally came home.

The second he walked in, he picked me up and spun me around, then slipped a little emerald bangle onto my wrist.

Then he kissed Mom and gave her a round emerald pendant.

"Now that's my gracious Rosa," he said. "Don't worry, I've already unfrozen the card."

"I wasn't angry that you faked being sick to play games. I was angry that you'd wish something like that on yourself."

"We're going to grow old together. Don't ever say anything that unlucky again, okay?"

Dad was so gentle. He still loved me and Mom, didn't he?

I stood off to the side staring at them, and suddenly the cuts on my legs didn't hurt anymore.

After Dad left, I happily scooted over to Mom, wanting to touch the pendant.

But she gave a cold laugh and took it off.

She patted my little head and showed me a news story.

Auction legend! Mob boss Vincent Caruso drops ten million dollars on a raw emerald and cuts a flawless emerald bangle worth over a hundred million on the spot!

I looked at the photo of the flawless green bangle on Vivian's wrist.

And suddenly I realized:

My little bangle, with Mom's round pendant tucked inside it, was exactly the size of the hole in the middle.

Oh. So the gifts Mom and I had gotten were the leftover scraps from cutting Vivian's bangle.

I was so angry I wanted to go yell at Dad.

But Mom calmly contacted Dr. Eleanor and set the date she would take the euthanasia drugs.

She chose her and Dad's wedding anniversary.

"This way, any time he thinks of marriage, he'll think of my death."

"As long as he remembers me for a long, long time, it'll be better for my Hope."

I didn't dare cry in front of Mom. I could only hide in my room and count down the days.

I was about to lose my mom.

She held me and said she'd turn into a star in the sky.

But I was already seven. I knew that was a lie.

I couldn't call her on it. I didn't want her to be even sadder before she died.

Over the next few days, Mom was very busy.

She got in touch with a man named Frank and talked with him in whispers for a long time.

Then she carefully picked out an evening gown, because Dad was taking her to a charity gala.

Just her. Not that awful mistress.

To make it happen, she'd even helped Dad smooth things over with Vivian.

But the moment she turned around, she taught me how to needle Vivian now that she'd been calmed down:

"Hee hee. So he made it snow for you. So what? You're still just my dad's toy."

"At a serious event like a charity gala, the only one who gets to walk in holding my dad's hand is my mom!"

Vivian took the bait so easily. She was so furious that she made a move right away.

On the day of the gala, the three of us had barely sat down

when Vivian appeared, dressed as one of the waitstaff.

She didn't say a word. She just stood there with red-rimmed eyes, looking at Dad.

I saw it clearly. Dad's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Vincent," Mom pleaded, "think about where we are. Please, let me keep a little dignity..."

But with the whole room watching, Dad still patted her hand.

"There are too many people here. Vivi's pregnant. I'm worried someone will bump into her."

He went and sat with his mistress.

The whole room buzzed with shock.

Mom lowered her head as if in humiliation. But in secret, she shot a look at Uncle Frank, not far away.