I grabbed a tissue and wiped away the blood. The door swung open.
Ebony walked in, arms crossed.
"Maud, even after all this, you're still not going to leave?"
"Think about it. You were standing right in front of your husband, and Caspar still couldn't recognize you."
"Don't you think that seems a little... deliberate?"
Those pretty, almond-shaped eyes fixed on me, sharp with scrutiny.
She was testing me. Trying to figure out if I'd overheard what she and Caspar said in the bathroom.
I lowered my gaze. "What do you want, Ebony?"
She let out a soft laugh, then reached out and tilted my chin up with one finger, her expression pure provocation.
"I'm going to replace you. I'm going to be Mrs. Stephens. If you've got any pride left, just admit you've lost."
"All you have to do is sign the divorce papers, and I'll leave you alone."
It all made sense now.
The best friend I'd poured my whole heart into had been plotting this all along, right under my nose.
"If I'd known you were a snake, Ebony, I never would have saved you."
I met Ebony when I was twelve.
I was the little princess of my family, sheltered and spoiled, never wanting for anything.