"Besides, I didn't exactly mistreat her. I gave her a beachfront villa to 'recover.' That's more than generous."
"Once Madge cools down, I'll bring Iris back. She'll still be Mrs. Delgado."
——
My eyes flew open. My fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms, and every drop of color drained from my face.
The voice on the other end kept going.
"Everard, you're ruthless. Aren't you worried Iris will find out?"
Everard laughed, low and dismissive.
"She's a wreck. Can barely string a thought together. Even if she talked, who's going to believe the ravings of some depressed lunatic?"
"Besides, the drugs will only make her worse. She'll be too far gone to take care of herself, let alone have the energy to go after Madge."
I shot upright in bed. Moonlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell across my face, washing it pale as bone.
Madge Pruitt.
The woman whose very existence kept my mother from closing her eyes in peace, even in death.
The person I hated most in this world.
Years ago, her mother had crawled into my father's bed. The affair drove my mother off the edge of a rooftop.